Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne

Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne

Coordinates: 54°58′08″N 1°36′50″W / 54.969°N 1.614°W / 54.969; -1.614

Literary and Philosophical Society
of Newcastle upon Tyne
Lit and Phil.JPG
Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne is located in Tyne and Wear
{{{alt}}}
Literary and Philosophical Society
of Newcastle upon Tyne

Red pog.svg Literary and Philosophical Society
of Newcastle upon Tyne shown within Tyne and Wear
OS grid reference NZ248638
List of places: UK • England • Tyne and Wear

The Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle Upon Tyne (or the Lit & Phil as it is popularly known) is a historical library in Newcastle upon Tyne, England and the largest independent library outside London[citation needed]. The library is still available for both lending (to members) and for free as a reference library.

Contents

Founding

Founded in 1793 as a "conversation club" by the Reverend William Turner and others – more than fifty years before the London Library – the annual subscription was originally one guinea. The Lit and Phil library contained works in French, Spanish, German and Latin; its contacts were international, and its members debated a wide range of issues, but religion and politics were prohibited[1].

History

The list of lecturers is a roll-call of the 19th- and 20th-century intelligentsia. George Stephenson showed his miner's lamp there, and in 1879, when Joseph Swan demonstrated his electric light bulbs, the Lit and Phil building became the first public building to be so illuminated.

The Society received in 1800 the country's first specimens of the wombat and the duck-billed platypus from John Hunter, Governor of New South Wales and honorary member of the Lit and Phil[2][3].

Between 1822 and 1825 a new building was created for the Society on Westgate Road, designed by John Green. The building is still in use today, with many original features including iron-work second-floor galleries.

Notable members

Notes

  1. ^ Lit & Phil History – Independent Library Newcastle
  2. ^ Series 38.11 Copy of a letter received by the Literary and Philosophical Society... 5 August 1798
  3. ^ Page 270 of Magazine of Natural History, edited by John Claudius Loudon, Edward Charlesworth, John Denson, published 1829 by Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. (Google's version)

Sources

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society — The Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, popularly known as the Lit Phil, is a learned society in Manchester, England. Established in 1781 as the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester,[1] by Thomas Percival, Thomas Barnes and …   Wikipedia

  • Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society — La Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society est une société savante de Manchester en Angleterre. Fondée en 1781 John Dalton, James Prescott Joule, Tom Kilburn, Peter Mark Roget, Ernest Rutherford et Thomas Worthington ont compté parmi ses… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Newcastle upon Tyne — This article is about the English city. For other uses, see Newcastle. Coordinates: 54°58.440′N 1°36.792′W / 54.974°N 1.6132°W / 54.974; 1 …   Wikipedia

  • History of Newcastle upon Tyne — The history of Newcastle upon Tyne dates back almost 2,000 years, during which it has been controlled by the Romans, the Saxons and the Danes amongst others. Originally known by its Roman name Pons Aelius , the name Newcastle has been used since… …   Wikipedia

  • Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne — Margaret Cavendish Segment from Frontispiece for several of her books in the 1650s and 1660s …   Wikipedia

  • North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers — The North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers (NEIMME) is a British institution[clarification needed] dedicated to the research and preservation of knowledge relating to mining and mechanical engineering. Founded in 1852, the… …   Wikipedia

  • North East Humanists — NEH Chairman Barrie Berkley introduces the philosopher A.C. Grayling at the NEH 50th anniversary lecture. The Tyneside Group of the North East Humanists (NEH) was founded on September 17, 1957, although organised secularism in the North East had… …   Wikipedia

  • John and Benjamin Green — were a father and son who worked in partnership as architects in North East England during the early nineteenth century. John, the father was a civil engineer as well as an architect. Although they did carry out some commissions separately, they… …   Wikipedia

  • Subscription library — A subscription library (also membership library or independent library) is a library that is financed by private funds either from membership fees or endowments. Unlike a public library, access is often restricted to members, but access rights… …   Wikipedia

  • James Losh — (1763 – 1833) was a lawyer, reformer and unitarian in Newcastle upon Tyne and later a court recorder.He was the first chairman of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway and the vice President of the The Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”