The Duke of Edinburgh made a special trip to the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (BRLSI) last week, its first royal visit in 199 years.
Photo © Joe Short / BRLSI
The Duke of Edinburgh visited the BRLSI, on Wednesday 19th July, following a graduation ceremony for the University of Bath at Bath Abbey.
The Duke was escorted to the institution’s home in Queen Square by Professor Ian Gadd, the current Chair of the Board.
Along the way, he learned about BRLSI’s history, activities, and ambitions as well as its plans for its bicentenary next year.
BRLSI is an educational charity founded by Georgian scientists, naturalists, and intellectuals in 1824.
It holds over 120 talks each year, covering all aspects of science, literature, the arts, and world affairs, and hosts many exhibitions, drawing on its extensive palaeontological, geological, and ethnographic collections.
Photo © Joe Short / BRLSI
Thanks to its digital programme, which began during lockdown, BRLSI is now able to make its programme of activities and events more accessible than ever before.
Royal patronage was conferred on the Institution by King William IV in the 1830s and continued under Queen Victoria, but this is the first formal visit by a member of the Royal Family to the Institution since its foundation.
The Duke of Edinburgh was met by staff, volunteers, and directors of the Board, and accompanied by Collections Manager, Matt Williams, was given a tour of the current BRLSI exhibition ‘Riches of the Earth.’
The Duke then toured the BRLSI vaults, where he saw an 1854 calotype photograph of the former Institution building on Terrace Walk made by Francis Lockey, amongst other antiquities and items.
During a tea and cake reception, the Duke talked with a range of volunteers about their contributions to BRLSI’s activities and community outreach and also met past and current members of the Board of Directors.
Photo © Joe Short / BRLSI
He also heard more about the plans for the Institution’s future, including a 12-month series of activities and events to mark its bicentenary and its hopes of redeveloping its space at Queen Square to become a ‘cultural hub’ for the city of Bath.
At the close of the visit, Professor Gadd presented the Duke with a BRLSI publication, Innovation and Discovery, which celebrates Bath’s history of innovation and discovery in science, medicine and technology.
Professor Gadd, a professor from Bath Spa University, said: “We are honoured to have hosted His Royal Highness.
“This was a very special occasion for the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution as the first royal visit in our history, and we were delighted to have the opportunity to show how the Institution is one of Bath’s historic and cultural jewels, to celebrate the hard work and enthusiasm of our volunteers and staff, and to talk about our exciting plans for the bicentenary year and beyond.”
