University of Lancashire

The Institution for the Diffusion of Knowledge was founded in 1828 by Joseph Livesey's Temperance Society. The society was born from a pledge made by seven Preston working men (whose names can be seen on a plaque in the university's library) to never again consume alcohol. The institute was housed in a classical-revivalist building on Cannon Street, before eventually expanding under the endowment of a local lawyer Edmund Robert Harris, who died in 1877. The expansion brought with it several new buildings and houses in the nearby Regent Street were purchased and demolished as a consequence. The institute became a regional centre for the arts and sciences. As part of Queen Victoria's Diamond…

In September 2011, the J B Firth Building, named after forensic scientist James Brierly Firth, was opened by the university, at a cost of £12.5m. It houses the School of Forensic and Applied Sciences, which includes subjects such as chemistry and forensic science. The new building has a 4000 m2 teaching area, which includes six laboratories.