Science and Art Department 1853 - 1899

The Science and Art Department was a government department, active from 1853-1899, which promoted education in art, science, technology and design in Britain and Ireland. The Department benefited substantially from the Great Exhibition of 1851, part of the profits of which were distributed by the Commissioners of the Great Exhibition for educational purposes. That donation funded a large site in South Kensington accommodating the Science and Art Department, the South Kensington Museum, and other bodies.

The Science and Art Department took over the Government School of Design, founded in 1837, which became the National Art Training School in 1853, and finally in 1896 The Royal College of Art, under which name it still flourishes.

The department was integrated into the Board of Education in 1899.