The RHS Bicentennial Glasshouse Virtual Tour
Funders
The RHS would like to thank the following organisations for generously supporting the Glasshouse virtual tour:
The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851
The Royal Commission was established in 1850 under the chairmanship of Prince Albert, to organise and stage the Great Exhibition. Held in the spectacular Crystal Palace, constructed in Hyde Park, it was the first ever World Fair, and the most successful. With over 6 million visitors, it also made a substantial profit.
Consolidated by Supplemental Charter, the Royal Commission set out “to increase the means of industrial education and extend the influence of science and art upon productive industry”. To this end it purchased 87 acres of land in South Kensington and helped establish its three great museums, the Royal Albert Hall and renowned institutions of learning, including Imperial College and the Royal Colleges of Art and Music.
When this huge undertaking was complete, there remained sufficient funds for the Royal Commission to set up, in 1891, an educational trust to perpetuate its aims. It supports pure research in science and engineering, applied research in industry, industrial design and other projects.
The 1851 Royal Commission continues this work to this day, both managing its freehold estate and awarding over £1.6M a year in research fellowships, design studentships and other grants. The Commission’s aim is to ‘make a difference’ and its achievement is evident, with 12 Nobel Prize winners and over 150 Fellows of the Royal Society among its previous award winners.
For further details, contact:
The Secretary
Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851
Sherfield Building
Imperial College
London SW7 2AZ
Tel: 020 7594 8790
e-mail: royalcom1851@imperial.ac.uk
website: www.royalcommission1851.org.uk