175 years of discovery
The Royal School of Mines (RSM) was established in 1851, originally as the Government School of Mines and Science Applied to the Arts. It was founded by Sir Henry De la Beche, who was also Director-General of the Geological Survey of Great Britain. The School grew out of the Museum of Economic Geology, which had been established in 1841 and held collections of minerals, maps and mining equipment.
It was created at a time when Britain was becoming increasingly dependent on science, engineering and natural resources to support industry. The School brought together the study of mining, geology, mineralogy and metallurgy, with a strong emphasis on applying scientific knowledge to real-world problems.
The name Royal School of Mines was adopted in 1863, and the School later moved to South Kensington in 1872. Today, the RSM’s legacy continues through Imperial’s Department of Materials and Department of Earth Science and Engineering, which are tackling the unprecedented challenges of our time through a convergence science approach - an integration of disciplines, convening of cross-sectoral partnerships and delivering of innovative research and teaching.