The Mechanics' Institute, 103 Princess Street, Manchester is notable as the building in which three significant British institutions were founded: the Trades Unions Congress (TUC), the Co-operative Insurance Society (CIS) and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). It is a Grade II* listed building as of 11 May 1972.[1]
The Mechanics' Institute was established in Manchester on 7 April 1824 at the Bridgewater Arms hotel by a group of wealthy manufacturers and scientists. The purpose of the institution was to provide facilities for working men to learn the principles of science through part-time study.
This institute organised the first City exhibition in 1837 and this led to a large number of similat exhibitions in English industrial towns and cities.[2] This institute's base was in Cooper Street and it moved to the current building in 1855. The building was designed by J. E. Gregson in an Italian palazzo style and was Gregson's last work.[3] It consists of three tall storeys with a basement and blind attic storey and is constructed of brick with stone dressings. "It set a standard for the scale of the commercial warehouses which were to follow but the nobility and purity of the design sets it apart from its neighbors."[4]
The inaugural meeting of the Trades Union Congress was held in the building, 2–6 June 1868. The building now contains archives from the National Labour Museum.