Dates

• Existence: c1855 - 1896

Biography

The National Sunday League was a middle class social movement that was started in London to fight for the right of the general public to have more access to culture and scientific amenities. The League was officially formed in 1855 under the patronage of businessman and Liberal Party politician Sir Joshua Walmsley. The movement’s aims were to get national institutions like museums, the Crystal Palace, libraries, public gardens and art galleries open on Sunday so working people, who in those days worked Monday to Saturday, could visit. This provoked opposition to the League from some sections of society on religious grounds as in those days Sunday was widely viewed as a religious day in the UK.

In 1896 The League finally made some progress getting The British Museum, The National Gallery, South Kensington museums and the Bethnal Green Museum opened their doors to the public on Sunday. By this time the Sunday League started to split into different societies such as Sunday Lecture societies.

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