FSLG Annual Review - Senate House Libraries - University of London

100 years on: a brief history of the Institut
français in London
Anne-Elisabeth Buxtorf, Director of the Médiathèque, Institut français, London
Translated by Camille Regnault
Origins
The origins of the Institut français du Royaume-Uni can be traced back to the
establishment of the Université des Lettres Françaises by Marie d'Orliac in 1910. This
19 year old French woman, arriving in London, aspired to set up an institution that
would introduce British men and women of culture to the French writers and artists
of the day. Initially granted a budget of fifty pounds (donated by Lord and Lady
Askwith), Marie d'Orliac, later to be known as Madame Bohn, gained greater support
and was notably backed by the ambassador of France, M. Cambon. These
developments ushered her into British high society, where she organised dinner
events for prominent figures who might be likely to support the project. This
included the Duchess of Marlborough and the banker Emile Mond, who was director
of "Crédit lyonnais" at the time. Mr Justice Darling, a lawyer who was enthused by
the young woman's project, made a proposition to offer up his property in Marble
Arch prior to its planned demolition in two years time. This is how the Université des
lettres françaises came to open its doors on the 8th October 1910. The University
offered French foreign language courses, poetry reading, live theatrical
performances and a library. The University was an overnight success and admitted a
hundred or so students.
In 1913, the University of Lille decided to construct a cultural and educational
institution for the French language in London following pre-existing models in St
Petersburg, Florence and Madrid. As a result, the Université des lettres françaises
became a section of the new Institut français with the following constituent parts:
- An arts and literature section managed by Marie d'Orliac.
- A language laboratory section placed under the management of Albert Schatz from
the law department at the University of Lille.
The Institut's management team at this stage consisted of Lord Askwith, the
chairman until 1942, Emile Mond, Austen Chamberlain, Rudyard Kipling, Earl
Crawford and Princess Mary (daughter of King George V).
In 1915 numerous French and Belgian families took refuge in London to escape the
war. With the aid of Emile Mond and Mrs Norman Grosvenor, some premises
belonging to British Rail opposite Victoria station were offered to the Institut
français. One hundred and twenty children were admitted into a provisionary French
secondary school as a result and were shortly expected to be joined by Russian,
Greek and Portuguese children having fled zones of conflict. Despite the war, the
Faculté des Lettres continued to teach French and to prepare students for
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