In 1918, following the
war, the
London County Council wanted to strengthen non-vocational education. It approved the opening of five literary institutes:
Plumstead and
Woolwich,
Marylebone,
Dalston,
Peckham, and City Literary Institute (City Lit). They took their first students in September 1919. At the time, it was a radically different approach to
adult education. The City Lit's first four classrooms were leased from a teacher training college. City Lit is now the sole survivor of London's Literary Institute movement. Among the very first courses City Lit offered in 1919 were lipreading classes for Londoners returning with damaged hearing from the battlefields of the First World War. In 1939, City Lit moved to its first purpose-built home in Stukeley Street, off Drury Lane. The new building was officially opened by the then Poet Laureate,
John Masefield, and contained a theatre, concert hall and gym. City Lit never closed its doors in the war; during the Blitz classes took place in air raid shelters, on the platforms of
Covent Garden and
Holborn Tube station, one music tutor even wheeled a piano underground for recitals. In 2005, City Lit moved from its building in Stukeley Street to new, purpose designed premises in nearby Keeley Street, which are fully accessible and include facilities such as studio spaces (for visual arts, drama and health and movement), "supported learning centre" (library), roof terrace with a herb garden, theatre and music recital room. Since then, they have also opened new photography, fashion and digital arts studios. In 2019, City Lit celebrated its centenary with a year of events reflecting upon the previous 100 years. At the City Lit Centenary Awards, The
Princess Royal was awarded the Centenary Fellowship for her outstanding contribution to adult learning. In early December 2022, City Lit suffered a severe IT outage, with the central website and a number of online resources becoming unavailable. == Courses ==