Introduction
The Polytechnic Magazine is the in-house magazine of the Regent Street Polytechnic. Published weekly, fortnightly and then monthly, it forms a wide-ranging record of a unique institution at the heart of London. On this website you can browse and search through issues of the Magazine from 1879 to 1960.
Quintin Hogg began the magazine in 1879 when his Young Men’s Christian Institute was based in Covent Garden. Initially called Home News, and then Home Tidings from issue 2, in February 1888 it was renamed the Polytechnic Magazine.
Regular subjects included are personal news of members (births, marriages, deaths and emigrations), sports and social clubs reports, commentaries on London events and current affairs, news of the Polytechnic women’s activities and the Old Quintinians, reports from Polytechnic Touring Association holidays, examination results and prizes. There are also advertisements (commercial and small ads), religious articles, lists of library stock, and general letters to the editor. During World War One the Magazine took on an important role by enabling members to contact and keep track of one another, as well as co-ordinating relief efforts and generally boosting morale. The wartime issues include lists of men who have enrolled, photographs of those who were killed and reports from the Front.
The Polytechnic Magazine is a valuable resource for any historians interested in London, education, leisure and sports or social history. If you are descended from or related to a member of the Polytechnic, you may be able to find them mentioned in the magazines, as well as learning something about the Institute they joined.
The magazines have been digitally scanned so that all the text is searchable and each individual article has been categorised. You can search the database by keyword/name and narrow down your search by year and/or category. You can also browse by volume and there is a separate search for images. In both search and browse modes you can click on the 
logo to open the scan. Clicking on the 
logo will show you the issue date, volume number and page reference that you will need should you wish to cite an article. For more detailed tips on searching the magazines, please see ‘Tips on Searching’.
For further information about the history of the Regent Street Polytechnic and the University of Westminster Archive, please see westminster.ac.uk/archives
Permission to use material
Visitors to this website are welcome to use any information displayed for non-commercial purposes on the condition that the correct citations are used and credit is given to the University of Westminster Archive.
If you wish to use material online, please ensure that our website address: westminster.ac.uk/archives is published on your site.
If you wish to use material for commercial purposes, please contact us at: archive@westminster.ac.uk