THE BIRMINGHAM & MIDLAND INSTITUTE

The Birmingham & Midland Institute (BMI) has been at the heart of Birmingham’s cultural life for almost 170 years. It was founded by an Act of Parliament in 1854 for the ‘Diffusion and Advancement of Science, Literature and Art amongst all Classes of Persons resident in Birmingham and Midland Counties’.

Charles Dickens was the Institute’s 16th President in 1869, and Sir Arthur Sullivan was its 35th President in 1888. Joining these, and another 165 notable incumbents, is the current, and 168th President, Sir David Cannadine. The Institute is managed by a Board of Governors of 25.

During the late nineteenth century, the Institute played a leading role in the introduction of scientific and technical education in Birmingham until the state gradually took over its functions. It was thus the forerunner of many educational bodies such as the Birmingham Conservatoire and Aston University.

The Institute has been located in Margaret Street since 1966, in a Grade II* listed building completed in the Jacobean style in 1899 to designs by F. Barry Peacock of architects firm Cossins & Peacock. The Institute has a thriving programme of cultural and educational activities, which includes a wide spectrum of arts and science lectures, exhibitions and concerts. The building is also a venue for many externally-organised events and can be booked for conferences and meetings. The Institute also owns and runs the BMI Library which traces its origins back to 1779. The Library collection is gradually growing through the regular purchase of new books, principally in the fields of humanities and modern fiction. The BMI has longstanding associations with a number of independent societies who use the premises for their activities and meetings. Affiliated societies have kindred interests and include the Birmingham Philatelic Society, Midland Ancestors and The Victorian Society, to name but a few. The BMI is also exploring a new partnership with Ex Cathedra, a leading choir and early music ensemble based in Birmingham. It performs choral music spanning the 15th to 21st centuries, and regularly commissions new works.

The Board of Governors is in the process of commissioning a Viability Study as to how best to conserve, restore and refurbish the building and to re-purpose it for a new generation of users that is both sustainable and offers a tangible benefit to the cultural life of the people of Birmingham and the Midlands. The Institute is about to embark upon an exciting new chapter in its history.

For more information about the BMI, please visit the website: www.bmi.org.uk. n By Stephen Hartland Honorary Secretary of the Birmingham & Midland Institute