Heriot-Watt University

Heriot-Watt University is a public university based in Edinburgh, established in 1821 as the world's first mechanics' institute (Royal Charter granted in 1966). It has branch campuses in the Scottish Borders, Orkney, Dubai, and Putrajaya in Malaysia. The university is ranked among the World's Top 500 by both Times Higher Education World University Rankings and QS World University Rankings; it is one of the 39 old universities in the UK comprising the distinctive second cluster of elite universities after Oxbridge.

History

School of Arts of Edinburgh

Heriot-Watt was established as the School of Arts of Edinburgh by Scottish businessman Leonard Horner on 16 October 1821. Having been inspired by Anderson's College in Glasgow, Horner established the School to provide practical knowledge of science and technology to Edinburgh's working men. The institution was initially of modest size, giving lectures two nights a week in rented rooms and boasting a small library of around 500 technical works. It was also oversubscribed, with admissions soon closing despite the cost of 15 shillings for a year's access to lectures and the library.