Mechanics Institutes were founded as a means of educating the working classes. Their libraries bought books to the working classes and their halls became the focal point for many small communities.
The man credited with being the founder of the Mechanics' Institute movement was George Birkbeck. Appointed Professor of Natural Philosophy (a study of nature and the physical world- a forerunner to modern science) at Anderson University in Glasgow in 1799, Birkbeck began working with the local "mechanics" who were building equipment he required to conduct experiments. (In the 1820’s the term mechanic referred to the skilled craftsmen or tradesmen who worked and maintained the machinery on which the Industrial Revolution depended).
Birkbeck found the mechanics to be surprisingly inquisitive and was so impressed by their thirst for knowledge that he lobbied the University Trustees for the establishment of a "mechanics’ class." The end result was a series of lectures for working men with the fetching title: "Mechanical affectations of solid and fluid bodies." Birkbeck's first lecture attracted some 75 attendees. By the time he delivered his fourth lecture, some 500 men attended
In 1804, George Birkbeck relocated to London. His work in Glasgow was continued by his successor, Dr Ure. The lectures continued until 1823 when, following a disagreement with the University Trustees, they succeeded from Anderson and established the independent "Glasgow Mechanics Institution," regarded as the first in Great Britain.
Meanwhile in London, George Birkbeck was continuing his work educating working men. He received support from many influential "radicals" of the day and in 1823 the London Mechanics Institution also opened its doors. Institutes in Liverpool, Ipswich and Manchester quickly followed. By the mid 1800’s there were in excess of 700 Mechanics Institutes across Great Britain.