1847-1877
The present headquarters of the IMechE, 1 Birdcage Walk in London, was completed in 1899. Prior to this the Institution was based in Birmingham.
The first meetings were held at the Queen’s Hotel in Birmingham, with larger Ordinary Meetings held at the Philosophical Institution’s lecture theatre, which was on Cannon Street. A year-long lease was arranged for holding Council meetings in the Temple Buildings, but the Institution soon needed more room, and the Secretary, William Prime Marshall, was instructed to look for new premises, ‘as will afford full accommodation as a residence for himself, with a Room for the meetings, a Library, and if possible a third room for the use of the Institution.’ 54 Newhall Street was selected, and a three-year lease was arranged.
1851, the year of the Great Exhibition, saw the Institution hold its first meeting in London, in the Society of Arts’ Adelphi Rooms. The Institution retained its permanent base in Newhall Street for 14 years, with Ordinary Meetings being held at the Midland Institute. Eventually, in 1871 Council formed a committee to investigate building an entirely new house, where all meetings could be held. It considered three potential sites in Birmingham, but finally recommended staying in Newhall Street, where the existing building should be either revamped, or a new building constructed on the corner with New Edmund Street, where sufficient land was available. Events dragged on for some time, and although William Marshall had been instructed to negotiate and prepare a preliminary plan for the building, eventually, in 1877, the decision was made to move the Institution entirely to London.