North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers

North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers
AbbreviationThe Mining Institute
Formation1852
Legal statusRoyal Chartered Learned Society
PurposeThe advancement and promotion of Science, Technology and Engineering in the North
Location
  • Neville Hall, Westgate Road, Newcastle, NE1
Membership
Academics and Industrialists across Science, Technology, Engineering and Industrial History in the North and across the UK
President
Dr Andrew Dobrzański
Hon. Secretary
Dr Richard Curry
Hon. Treasurer
Dr David Bell
Websitemininginstitute.org.uk

Neville Hall and Wood Memorial Hall, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne

The North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers (NEIMME), commonly known as The Mining Institute,[1] is a British Royal Chartered learned society and membership organisation dedicated to advancing science and technology in the North and promoting the research and preservation of knowledge relating to mining and mechanical engineering. The membership of the institute is elected on the basis of their academic and professional achievements with Members and Fellows entitled to the postnominal MNEIMME and FNEIMME.[2] The Institutes’ membership is predominantly from local industry and from academics at Durham and Newcastle Universities, though members are also located further afield across the UK.

The institute was founded in 1852 in Newcastle upon Tyne, and was granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria in 1876. The Institute developed one of the largest collections of mining information in the world.[3] Its library, named after the first President Nicholas Wood contains more than twenty thousand volumes of technical literature,[4] in the fields of mining, geology, mechanical engineering, government blue books, mine rescue, mineralogy, mineral chemistry, mining statistics, mining law, seismology and other related topics.

In 2019 the assets of the Institute – building, library and archive collections and staff – were transferred to a separate charity, The Common Room of the Great North, established to "celebrate the region's engineering history through education and engagement, with a vision to inspire the next generation of innovators and engineers". Neville Hall, the Institute building, was closed for refurbishment in 2019.[5]

The Institute itself continues as an independent professional membership organisation for engineers, and is currently developing a new strategy that aims to increase its activities.

  1. ^ Henderson, Tony (8 May 2014). "Historic Newcastle hall opens its rooms to public for the first time". The Journal. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  2. ^ Membership Grades of the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers
  3. ^ Home of the Black Diamond - The Nicholas Wood Memorial Library (PDF), p. 2, .. the Nicholas Wood Memorial Library, reputed to be the largest mining library in the world. Formed by The North of England Institute of Mining Engineers in 1852 ..
  4. ^ North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers The Mining Institute Renaissance - Anniversary Celebrations 1852–2002. 2002.
  5. ^ "The Mining Institute". North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers. August 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2022.