Commonwealth Institute
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Commonwealth Institute is an educational charity loosely connected with the Commonwealth of Nations. It is based in London, England.
The Institute was established in the late 19th century by the governments of the United Kingdom and several of the countries of the British Empire to promote education and research which would benefit the Empire. Initially this was strongly biased towards scientific research that supported the industrial and commercial development of the dominions and colonies. At this time the UK had a policy of Commonwealth Preference in its trade relations. After Britain's accession to the European Economic Community support for the institute from other Commonwealth governments fell away, leaving Britain to bear nearly all of the cost. This led to a decision by the British government that the institute should refocus on educational programmes, which were more consistent with policy of the day. In 2000 the Institute was reestablished as a registered charity.
The Institute has established a working relationship with the University of Cambridge, which seeks to use the expertise available to foster primary and secondary education throughout the Commonwealth. The emphasis is placed on research into educational issues and the development of educational leadership.
The Institute occupies a distinctive green roofed building immediately to the south of Holland Park, designed by Robert Matthew/RMJM. It used to be open to the public on a daily basis, and contained a permanent exhibition about the nations of the Commonwealth which was designed to promote trade between them, but visitor numbers were disappointing, so it shut its doors in the late 1990s and concentrated on its other activities. Many of the exhibits were returned to member countries and the remainder were donated to the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum in Bristol.
In 2005 the Institute's director proposed to sell the building in order to help fund its education projects, a proposal which was criticised by her predecessors. On July 22, 2005 the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Tessa Jowell rejected the proposal to remove the building's Grade II* listed status, which prevents the building being demolished by developers.
