West Ham Technical Institute In 1892 the newly formed Borough of
West Ham decided to establish a technical institute to serve the local community. Construction started on 29 October 1898, costing £45,000 to build and £15,000 to equip. Designed by
James Glen Sivewright Gibson and
Samuel Bridgman Russell in the
Renaissance Revival architecture style, with added carving introduced by the foreman of construction Scottish sculptor
W.B. Rhind (1853 - 1933). The frontage towards Romford Road shows figures representing Fine art and science; towards Water Lane are figures symbolical of Literature, Engineering, and Music; two female figures adorn the main entrance, and there are four figures in the niches of the square tower representing Perseverance and Industry. The institute was to be a "people's university" in the words of
John Passmore Edwards, speaking at the building's opening ceremony in 1900 - he also opened the local museum, the
Passmore Edwards Museum, in a separate building on the same site on the same occasion. Under principal Albert E. Briscoe, It became the West Ham Municipal college in 1921 and latterly, West Ham College of Technology.
North East London Polytechnic In 1970, these three colleges Campuses were modernised and revitalised by buildings such as the Arthur Edwards building on the Stratford campus, completed in 1982. The University of East London consisted of the Barking Campus (closed 2006) and the Stratford Campus. In 1999 the
University of East London Docklands Campus was opened, the first new university campus built in London for over 50 years. ==Present: Stratford Campus==