Calendar: 1985-1986 Page 11

10 the historical background British empire especially in Africa reveals just how many of King's students went abroad to plan and develop roads railways and mines to doctor the sick and to tend to their souls Beginning in 1849 King's College was in the vanguard of provision of evening education for Londoners Students followed various courses in academic subjects but training was also provided for entrants to the Civil Service second and third division would-be telegraphists and surveyors of taxes Workshop classes were set up with the support of the Clothworkers Company among others As an offshoot from the Civil Service classes William Braginton established commercial school for boys in 1892 which subsequently moved into the basement of the College when King's College School moved to the more pleasant environment of Wimbledon in 1897 In turn the Strand School as it became known moved out to new premises in Brixton when it became re-organised under the administration of the London County Council King's College itself cannot claim to have been in the vanguard of women's education but many of its staff were involved in its provision Maurice and some colleagues assisted in the establishment in 1848 of Queen's College in Harley Street and in the following year of Bedford College In 1871 the King's Principal Barry commenced evening lectures for ladies in Twickenham In 1878 the University agreed to allow women to sit its examinations and the College transferred Barry's lectures for women to Kensington Such was the success of these lectures that in 1882 the statutes of the College were altered and structured provision was made for the higher education of women Many of the lecturers of King's College also taught at the Kensington Department but there remained clear intention to keep the two apart and to establish an independent King's College for Women It is however interesting to note that major fundraising endeavour for the women's college that featured Mr and Mrs Beerbohm Tree and had set in part designed by Lord Leighton was refused permission to use the premises in the Strand because of the intended appearance of women in theatrical production on its stage The Modern College By the end of the century the College was ready for change This was spurred on by its financial difficulties The combined non-university educational enterprises had between them kept the College afloat yet toward the end of the century King's College School was losing pupils because of the growing preference of parents for schools in the leafy suburbs The whole growth of the polytechnic movement vigorously and vociferously supported by Beatrice and Sidney Webb challenged the College's role in providing technical and evening education Amongst these was the South Western Polytechnic opened in 1894 with Herbert Tomlinson formerly Lecturer in Natural Philosophy at King's College as its first Principal There was also growing feeling among academics and administrators especially in King's College and University College that London should finally fulfil Campbell's original ambition to found university that both taught and examined Their combined attempt to found Gresham University in London and the findings of several royal commissions led eventually to the reconstitution of the University in 1900