The Premisses of Premises: Spatial Issues in the Historical Construction of Laboratory Credibility

Matters at South Kensington, it appears, are still a long way from being established on a satisfactory footing; and the undefined suspicions, ill-concealed ridicule, and outspoken disparagement with which any mention of its name used to be met when the Brompton Boilers were a byword of mismanagement continue to cling to the institution, notwithstanding the vast sums spent upon it and the magnificent edifice they have called into being.... South Kensington, as we all know, was intended for the advancement of Science and Art. Some people deny that it has succeeded in advancing either; but we may safely assert that if it has rendered some service to Science its services to Art have been far greater.... (The Electrician, 1888, 20: 630)