ABSTRACT
In early 1830s, Owenites had sought to establish their own meeting halls, as church and city officials were often unwilling to provide space to a group with a reputation for immorality and infidelity. Originally known as “Social Institutions”, these were renamed as “Halls of Science” following the establishment of the Association of All Classes of All Nations, as the Owenite movement was focused on preparing its members for community life – hence the need for institutions where the “science of society” could be taught to a large audience. As part of these propagandist activities, full reports on Halls of Science such as this one appeared weekly in the New Moral World. They reveal a rich social life at branch level and an array of universal aims. As a base for both militant, educational and leisure activities, Halls of Science were meant to foster community bonds while promoting a radical culture firmly set against the individualism and selfishness of capitalistic society.
