Page 7 - HB- Further Education

Further Education in Redditch Redditch Heritage

A History of Technical and Further Education in Redditch

The Redditch Literary and Scientific Institute and Technical School

By 1843 Redditch and the surrounding district had a dozen manufacturers of needles and
approximately 3,000 workers were involved in needle making. The most famous name
in needle making was probably Milward, whose needles had an international market. The
skills of needle making and fishhook making were similar, so it was not surprising that
the manufacture of fishhooks also developed in Redditch. Samuel Allcock & Co. was a
prominent firm in the making of fishhooks and other fishing tackle not only in Britain, but
also by the end of the nineteenth century in the world. Spring making was the third major
industry in Redditch in the nineteenth century, with the largest firm making springs being
Herbert Terry & Sons that came to specialise in springs and presswork.

In the 1840s the population of Redditch quickly increased when the new large mills were
powered by steam and not water. In 1859 the railway line was extended to Redditch, so
that deliveries to and from the town were made easier. Clearly, the developing expertise
and fame of the Redditch firms attracted workers from the West Midlands, and this
contributed to the expansion of the town. In the early 1800s it was needle makers in
other districts, finding that they could no longer compete with those in the Redditch area,
who migrated to the town.

The First Institutions

The forerunners of institutions for technical education were the Mechanics’ Institutes, and
the Literary and Scientific Institutes, and in 1850 a Literary and Scientific Institute was
opened in Redditch. The Library and Reading Room were first housed in 4, Prospect Hill,
on the second floor above the shop of William Heming, printer, stationer and founder of
the Redditch Indicator. The working man`s ticket was issued at four shillings a year, or
one shilling and sixpence per quarter, and entitled admission to the Working Man’s Reading
Room, use of the Library and admission to back seats at lectures. There was no room in
the shop for lectures, so the Managers of the National School, St. Stephen’s, in Peakman
Street gave permission for lectures and entertainment to take place in the school buildings
for an annual fee. Actual classes began in 1859 when a ‘night school’ first opened in the
National Schools. The first examinations, in 1862, were in arithmetic and grammar, but
by 1868 there were also science classes. In 1872 the School of Art opened on Unicorn
Hill and remained there for fourteen years.

It was later felt that the Institute needed more space, so building began in Church Road
in 1885, when Lieut. Col. the Hon. George H. Windsor-Clive, MP laid the foundation stone.
The new Institute building cost £2,400 and this money was gained from voluntary
subscriptions and donations. In 1886 Earl Beauchamp opened the new premises for the
School of Art, the Institute and its library. The new building consisted of a library, reading
room, elementary, advanced and modelling rooms. There were also a master’s room and
caretaker’s apartments and offices.

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