Bradford Mechanics Institute was founded in 1832, acquired a School of Design in 1848, a School of Building in 1867, and a Weaving School (Bradford Technical School) in 1878. The first building for the new Bradford Technical School was opened in 1882. Four departments were established: Textiles, Art and Design, Engineering, and Chemistry and Dyeing. Shortly after the School opened it was re-named Bradford Technical College. In 1899 control of the College passed from the committee set up by its founders to Bradford Corporation: at this point there were 143 full-time day students and 623 regular evening students. A new textile block, a students' union and a picture gallery were all added in the years before the First World War. In 1904 the Art Department was re-constituted as a separate School of Art. Harry Richardson, a physicist, was appointed Principal in 1920; he campaigned for university status for Bradford until his retirement in 1956. By 1930 there were Departments of Textiles, Chemistry, Dyeing, Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Commerce and Banking, Pharmacy and Biology, Physics and Mathematics. To cope with the expansion further buildings were added in Carlton Street and Great Horton Road. In 1957, following a government paper on technological education, Bradford Technical College became one of the country's first Colleges of Advanced Technology. A year later this split into the Bradford Institute of Technology - which went on to become the University of Bradford - and the Bradford Technical College.
From the guide to the The Bradford Technical College Archive, 1882-1957, (GB 532 Bradford University Library)
