Northern Polytechnic Institute The Northern Polytechnic opened in
Holloway with aid from the
City Parochial Foundation and substantial donations from the
Worshipful Company of Clothworkers in 1896. Under the terms of its
royal charter, its objective was "to promote the industrial skill, general knowledge, health and well-being of young men and women belonging to the poorer classes of Islington [and] to provide for the inhabitants of Islington and the neighbouring parts of north London, and especially for the Industrial Classes, the means of acquiring a sound General, Scientific, Technical and Commercial Education at small cost." The founding principal of the institute was the chemist
John Thomas Dunn. He appointed
Victor Alessandro Mundella as its first
Professor of
Physics and Head of the Department of Physics and
Electrical Engineering. By 1911, five-year
University of London evening degrees were available. The modernist
Cecil Stephenson was appointed head of art in 1923 and, from 1925, courses were recognised by the
Royal Institute of British Architects.
NPI alumni •
Walter Hassan, British automotive engineer and engine specialist for
Bentley,
Jaguar Cars, and
Coventry Climax North Western Polytechnic The North Western Polytechnic was eventually opened by the Prince of Wales (later King
Edward VIII) at Prince of Wales Road,
Kentish Town in 1929. The polytechnic later acquired premises at
St Pancras,
Highbury (Ladbroke House) and 207–225 Essex Road. Concentrating on social sciences, humanities and arts, by 1967, when the printing department transferred to the
London College of Printing (a founding member of the
London Institute), the North-Western was the largest
polytechnic in London. 1930
NWP alumni •
Alfred Hayes, professional wrestler under the name "Lord Alfred Hayes" •
Aminu Bashir Wali,
Nigerian
Minister of Foreign Affairs (2014–2015) •
Alison Weir, author and historian
Polytechnic of North London The Polytechnic of North London was founded by the 1971 merger of the Northern and North-Western polytechnics. Its first director was
Terence Miller, former principal of the
University of Rhodesia. Until the passing of the
Education Reform Act 1988, it came under the control of the
Inner London Education Authority, part of the then
Greater London Council. Degree awarding authority resided with the former
Council for National Academic Awards until the polytechnic, a pioneer of
widening participation and access to higher education, was granted university status in 1992. After leaving
Oxford in 1964, the renowned historian
A. J. P. Taylor lectured at the polytechnic until his death in 1990.
The Harrington affair In 1984,
Patrick Harrington, a prominent member of the
National Front and deputy editor of
NF News, was the subject of protests by fellow students who picketed and boycotted his lectures, arguing that his presence made life intolerable for ethnic minority students. Disputing this, Harrington obtained an injunction which the protesters, backed by the
students' union, ignored. At one stage the president of the
National Union of Students,
Phil Woolas, reported that the polytechnic was "simply not functioning any more," with lecturers defying the courts by refusing to give names of students on demonstrations. Two student leaders were sent to prison for 16 days for contempt of the court order preventing them from barring Harrington and the
Secretary of State for Education, Sir
Keith Joseph, threatened to close the polytechnic down. In December, David MacDowall, then director, resigned after pressure from the Inner London Education Authority to make a complaint against Harrington for remarks he made in a radio interview. ILEA said the remarks were racist, which Harrington denied. In his resignation letter, MacDowall admitted that he had acted "in a totally fascistic manner" over the issue and wished "all the picketing students the best of luck with their campaign." Harrington subsequently faced a disciplinary hearing for a television interview in which, in line with NF policy, he questioned the right of black people to citizenship. In January 1985, with a new director, John Beishon, in post and final examinations approaching, the polytechnic, students' union and Harrington agreed a deal in which his classes would be taught separately in another building. He eventually graduated with a degree in philosophy. Beishon remained at PNL for three years.
PNL alumni •
Richard Cabut, writer, editor and cultural commentator •
Jeremy Corbyn, member of parliament for Islington North, former leader of the Labour Party (did not graduate) •
Tim Wright (Welsh musician) (HND Electronics and Communications Engineering) •
Matthew Sweeney, poet (BA German and English, 1978)
University of North London In 1992, under the
Further and Higher Education Act, the Polytechnic of North London was granted university status to become the University of North London. It existed under that name until 2002, when it merged with
London Guildhall University to form
London Metropolitan University.
UNL alumni • Sir
Sadiq Khan,
Mayor of London (LLB Law) •
Noel Clarke, actor, screenwriter, director, comic book writer and recipient of the 2021
BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award (presently suspended following allegations of misconduct) ==In fiction==