· In the early nineteenth century, a time when education was the privilege of the elite few, Mechanics’ Institutes were set up in Britain and later, Australia.· Their aim was to provide working men with access to technical education – through talks, courses, lectures and books accessible in a reading room. Mechanics Institutes gave many worker access to books and lectures which they could otherwise afford. By the late 19th and 20th initiatives such as TAFE and public libraries made mechanics institutes less relevant. As source of income the institute could hold dances , theatre , movies and hire out the billiard table which started be replaced by social clubs.The Hamilton Mechanics Institute has architectural significance as a particularly fine and intact example of a Mechanics Institute in the Renaissance Revival style.