The Common Room of the Great North
The Common Room of the Great North - based in Newcastle upon Tyne - was established in 2017 to manage and lead the redevelopment of the assets - building, staff, library and archives - of the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers (NEIMME), or Mining Institute as it is often known. The work is supported with a grant of £4.1 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The intention is to use the region's mining heritage to inspire the next generation of innovators and engineers through education and engagement activities and the provision of a range of public spaces for innovation, collaboration, events, lectures, weddings and more.
Origin[edit]
NEIMME was formed in 1852 to bring together mining engineers in the North East England to consider measures to reduce accidents, and to deal generally with the theory, art and practice of coal and other types of mining. It grew in size and influence and prompted the creation of similar organisations in other parts of Britain. By 1911, the Institute had over 2,300 accredited members with 45% of them working abroad. However, during the 20th Century its role and importance declined as the coal industry changed and shrank in size. Its finances became precarious and by the beginning of the 21st Century its continued existence was in doubt. A working group of the Institute concluded that a widening of its role was needed and suggested it used its heritage and collections as a basis for a programme of training, conference, debates, etc about the future engineering, cultural, infrastructure and so on of the North East. A working title for the new body was the Great North Institute. Heritage Lottery grants enabled the development of the ideas and the creation of a new charity and limited company now named The Common Room of the Great North.
Neville Hall[edit]
The Headquarters building of NEIMME was Neville Hall, like NEIMME also known as the Mining Institute, and built in 1872. On 1st March 2019 the building legally transferred to The Common Room of the Great North and is now in their ownership. It is undergoing significant refurbishment - repair of stonework, restoration of stained-glass windows, creation of meeting rooms, installation of a lift, timber window refurbishment, slate roof replacement, updating of the electricity provision and general updating - while retaining the character of the building, especially the Library and the Lecture Theatre. It will reopen in November 2020.[1]
Collections[edit]
The NEIMME Library collections - books, journals, reports, maps, photographs, archives, etc - all legally transferred to The Common Room on 1st March 2019. Most of the material is in store until Neville Hall reopens. There is a continuing digitisation programme of archives and other resources in the collection and a process to provide online access to digitised material is being developed.
Activities - current and future[edit]
Currently The Common Room has an exhibition, Graft and Glory, that explores the North East’s industrial heritage and is touring various venues in the region from the Tweed to the Tees. It is associated with a public programme of family activities, public lectures, oral history workshops and community engagement.[2]
Relations are being developed with local engineering companies, professional bodies, educational institutions, business, and other organisations. [3] [4]
Organisation[edit]
The Common Room as a registered Charity has a Board of Trustees, including 3 representatives from NEIMME, and an advisory Youth Board of young people from engineering and education.[5]
Meeting, etc venues[edit]
The refurbished building will again be available for weddings and will provide a versatile space for a broad range of events including meetings, conferences, dining, music and filming opportunities.
Sources[edit]
- Whetstone, David. Mining Institute closes for multi-million-pound transformation Only-in-Newcastle.co.uk 4 September 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
References[edit]
- ↑ Ford, Coreena. Makeover of historic Newcastle building moves closer as plans are submitted. ChronicleLive.co.uk. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- ↑ Materials Processing Institute hosts exhibition celebrating the best of North East innovation RecognitionPR.co.uk 17 January 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- ↑ Panel discussion - the future of engineering in the UK MPIUK.com 6 December 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ↑ North East engineering heritage inspires young apprentices NEChamber.co.uk 28 January 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ↑ Cowie, Alison. One of Newcastle’s oldest institutions appoints a Youth Board. NETimesmagazine.co.uk 24 June 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
External links[edit]
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