Education in the West Riding to the mid-century

An embryonic Mechanics Institute was established in Bradford in 1825 but the project was soon abandoned. A successor was set up in 1832, but the membership grew only slowly; a hall to house a lecture room, library and offices was built in 1839. In Huddersfield a Young Men's Mental Improvement Society was started in May 1841, moving to enlarged premises in 1843, when it was renamed the Mechanics' Institution; a move to still larger premises took place in 1850.