Month: October 2022

In the 19th Century, mechanics’ institutes were established in all major towns and cities across the country. The Plymouth Mechanics’ Institute was part of the movement in the 1820s to spread education to the skilled and working classes.

In this lecture, Owen Ryles looks into the Mechanics’ Institute’s foundation, glory days and eventual absorption into the Plymouth Athenaeum.

Owen is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, the Linnean Society and the Zoological Society. He is also Chief Executive of the Plymouth Athenaeum.

David Ryles delivers the Plymouth Athenaeum’s annual President’s Address for 2022.

In Part Two of his address, Athenaeum President, David Ryles, uncovers more about the ‘Lesser Known History of Plymouth Hoe’, discussing the stories behind some of the less well known monuments and memorials on Plymouth’s historic Hoe.