UNIVERSITY OF NORTHAMPTON
On 11 March 1867, a free public lecture on Science and Art was held, under the auspices of the Museum Committee, in the Town Hall in Northampton which proved popular and as a direct result, evening classes in painting and drawing started in October of that year. Art evening classes continued and expanded, closely linked to science classes, until in 1894 the Northampton and County Modern and Technical School was established. This held day, evening, and weekend classes. In 1907 the evening class organisation became the Northampton and County Technical and Art School, with the Art School functioning separately. A further name change occurred the following year, to Northampton and County Technical School and School of Art. The Northampton School of Art was re-designated the Northampton School of Arts and Crafts, and the School continued to grow, working in overcrowded rented accommodation, until new purpose-built premises were opened in 1937 next to the Technical College on St George's Avenue. In 1954, the Central College of Further Education was established, to include both the School of Art and the College of Technology. The School of Art appears to have continued to function as a separate college, however, and the precise relationship to the Central College remains unclear and papers from the late 1960s and 1970s use a variety of different headings including Central College of Further Education, School of Art, and College of Technology and School of Art. In 1972 the School became known as the College of Art and 1975 saw the establishment of a college of higher education, Nene College. The Northampton colleges of Education and Technology along with the School of Art were amalgamated to form this new institution. The University of Northampton was founded in 1924 as the Northampton Technical College and in 1932 moved to St George’s Avenue. In 1972 the College of Education at Park Campus was opened and in 1975, with the amalgamation of the College of Education, College of Technology and College of Art, Nene College was formed and in 1978 The Leatherseller’s College in London was integrated into Nene College. In 1992 Nene College transferred its further education provision to further education colleges in Northamptonshire and focused on higher education and in 1993 Nene College incorporated St Andrew’s School of Occupational Therapy and was granted undergraduate degree awarding powers and in 1997 Sir Gordon Roberts College of Nursing and Midwifery was also incorporated into Nene College. In 1999 Nene College became University College Northampton and in 2005 the University of Northampton was established, having been awarded full university status and research degree awarding powers.
Website: https://www.northampton.ac.uk