Mechanics Worldwide 2009 conference diary

Mon 28th September 2009

Daniel Rose of the Swindon New Mechanics' Trust speaking on Swindon Mechanics Institute.

Monday was the final day of the conference, but there was, nevertheless, a full programme of eight papers to be presented, so an early (9.15) start.

David McClay

Scott Cherry

Prof Wallace Kirsop

Richard Clarke

Tom Butler-Bowdon

Jana Sims

Keith Atkinson

The first speaker was David McClay of the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh, who spoke on The John Murray Archive. The publishing house of John Murray was founded in 1768 and its archive is one of Scotland's national treasures, but David focussed on one of the firm's writers in particular - exiled Scot Samuel Smiles, whose Self Help, the theme of this conference, was published by John Murray III in 1859. Unlike Charles Darwin, who allowed his Origin of Species (published by Murray on the same day) to be sold at low prices, Smiles insisted on a high cover price, and was disappointed by the consequently low initial royalties, although Murray stood by him and the book eventually became hugely successful. After some persuasion Smiles returned the favour by agreeing to become Murray's archivist, laying the foundations of the cultural treasure in Edinburgh today.

Things took a philosophical turn next, as Scott Cherry of Loughborough University asked Is reading a self-help book an occasion of self-help? He began with an analysis of how self-help books draw their readers in by suggesting that reading them is necessary if self-improvement is to be achieved, with boasts of large number of copies sold helping to convince buyers that they must be effective. Ultimately though, merely reading the book is insufficient to achieve the goal, and Scott Cherry's conclusion (so far) is that we buy self help books not because they're good, but because we're desperate to improve our lives.

The next paper was entitled The Bury Institute in Lancashire, but its author was from Sydney, Australia. Prof Wallace Kirsop, of Monash University, described the presence in two Australian libraries of material relating to W. R. Greg, a manufacturer who became a key figure in the Mechanics Institutes movement in Lancashire in the early to mid 19th century. This material, from which Prof Kirsop read extracts, is a key source in studying the history of the Lancashire Institutes, and an example of the value of international cooperation in the study of the worldwide Mechanics Institutes movement.

From Bury and Sydney, the focus moved to London as Richard Clarke of Birkbeck, University of London (formerly Birkbeck College), spoke on The London Mechanics' Institute - Birkbeck after (George) Birkbeck. Richard became intrigued by the sheer number of roads, schools and other buildings in London which shared the name of his workplace. He found that most of them were, indeed, named after the same George Birkbeck (1776 - 1841), and in doing so uncovered a long and not always easy history which began with the London Mechanics Institute, saw accusations of class traitorship from none less than Frederick Engels, and fostered an educational movement (with Birkbeck's name, though founded by William Ellis) plus an early building society which turned into a bank, survived one run on its funds (but not a second) and ended up as part of the Royal Bank of Scotland.

It was a tale of tension between those who believed in the original purpose of disseminating 'useful knowledge' to the workers, and those who leaned towards provisioning the needs of what Engels called the 'bourgeoisie', with the latter tending the win the day, especially over the bank. However the educational theme lives on (albeit in very different accommodation) as part of London University today.

Next came a change of running order and a return to the theme of self help (and Self Help) books, as Tom Butler-Bowdon, author of 50 Self-Help Classics, spoke on Samuel Smiles and a Philosophy of Success. He argued that, far from being a Victorian relic, Smiles' book has great relevance today, since what Smiles preached - industry and, above all, taking time to perfect a skill or reach a goal - is increasingly seen as the key to success. Having a 'long time horizon' - the ability to defer gratification and invest time in self-development - is an advantage the wealthy have over the poor, who often have more pressing needs (and shorter life expectancies). Samuel Smiles taught that anyone can, however, overcome those disadvantages with enough determination.

After lunch (self-catering this time) Jana Sims of the Institute of Education in London spoke on Mechanics' Institutes in Sussex and Hampshire. The leafy counties of southern England aren't normally associated with Mechanics Institutes, but as Jana revealed there were plenty of them, in places like Brighton, Lewes and Winchester, many founded by members of the Unitarian church. The coastal ones ran classes in navigation, and any ideas of southern softness were dispelled by 5.30am classes in science and philosophy. Music played an important part in most Institutes, dispelling the myth of Engand as a non-musical nation, and although the early 19th century saw resistance to womens' attendance, that was largely resolved by the 1840s.

The conference's final two speakers each told stories of bringing - or at least attempting to bring - Mechanics Institutes buildings back from the brink of dereliction. First came Daniel Rose (see top of page) of the Swindon New Mechanics Trust. The Trust doesn't actually own a building, but it would like to - the imposing Swindon Mechanics Institute, built in the fast-growing railway town in 1893 but now derelict after years of neglect, two private owners and a series of failed attempts to turn it into a hotel. With the council at last issuing the owners with an Urgent Works Notice for the listed building (which will almost certainly encourage them to sell), it's now just a matter of finding £3 million to match the £9 million available from Lottery funds, and the Institute can be reborn with theatre, shops, lecture rooms and offices for charitable organisations.

The final lecture was a story of (eventually) successful renovation, but also of the vagaries of obtaining Lottery funding (Swindon take note). Keith Atkinson of St Agnes Miners and Mechanics Institute in Cornwall described the county's long history of mining, a skill it exported all around the world, and the consequent growth of Institutes for the industry's workers. However by the late 1990s the St Agnes Institute, built in 1840, had gone the way of so many, with sections of the original roof falling in through the 1970s false ceiling (and, apparently, playing havoc with the billiards).

A campaign to save the Institute found itself mired in bureaucracy as it attempted to get grant funding, at one stage ending up with one lottery fund paying for the top half of the staircase and another for the bottom. Problems with consultants and bankrupt builders didn't help, and nor did the tendency of one funding body to withdraw its funds because they hadn't been spent in time, due to having to wait for a decision from another. It's all done now and the place looks magificent, but Keith's message was not to expect it to be easy.

And that was the end of the conference - almost. After a final cup of tea served by the valiant BRLSI volunteers, Jim Lowden of the Melbourne Institute called delegates together to thank them for coming, and to thank the BRLSI for hosting the event. In response the BRLSI's in-house poet, Simon Tyler, read a poem he'd written specially for the occasion (you can see Simon reading it - and read it for yourself - by clicking here). Then Jim presented certificates, signed by the delegates, to the BRLSI's Bob Draper and Peter Ford, thanking them for all their hard work in making the conference happen. It's fair to say that it had been a huge success, with everyone going away satisfied and happy. Now the planning starts for three years' time in America!

The BRLSI's in-house poet, Simon Tyler, receives applause for his Conference Ode. Click here to see him read it.