Birkbeck, University of London

In 1832, some 2,000 people packed a pub on London's Strand for the launch of Dr George Birkbeck's Mechanics' Institution, which aimed to provide education for those with little time or money. That intention has been met in spades by Birkbeck, part of the University of London since 1925: today it has around 19,000 students, some 11,800 of them extramural.