North Western Polytechnic (1929-1971)

The North Western Polytechnic (NWP) -founded in 1896 and located on Prince of Wales Road, Kentish Town – was officially opened by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) on 17th October,1929. It was the last of the technical institutes of London to be inaugurated.

Although the erection of such an institute within the parish of St. Pancras had been planned since 1892 (and its Board of Governors regularly met from that date), and contributions from individual donors had been received, the project was nevertheless delayed through lack of funds. A valuable site in Kentish Town was acquired, but further postponement was forced by the First World War and it was not until 1927 that the building was erected.

NWP had more than 2200 students, mainly in evening classes, and an academic staff of 150, concentrating on social sciences, humanities and arts. By 1967 the NWP was the largest polytechnic in London.

On 26 January 1971, as more polytechnics were designated, it was decided that the Northern and North Western polytechnics should merge to form the Polytechnic of North London (PNL), which then had its degrees awarded by the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA).

In 1992, the Polytechnic gained University status (and its own degree-awarding powers) by the Further and Higher Education Act of the same year and became known as the University of North London.

On 1st August, 2002, the University of North London merged with London Guildhall University to form the institution as it is known today,London Metropolitan University.