1875: The inauguration of the Yorkshire College of Science and the birth of the University of Leeds

Using original sources, the book considers the foundation of the Yorkshire College of Science, one of the precursor institutes to the University of Leeds, in 1874. The work centres upon the pressures that contributed to this event, illustrating the diverse pressures prompting the development of higher education in the second half of the nineteenth century - notably the growing demand from an increasingly educated population and from employers in response to increasing international competition - as well as the difficulties faced in the establishment of the College, in particular financial shortfalls. While focusing on the history of a particular institution, it sheds light on the wider development of higher education at this time.