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In 1970 the Borough Polytechnic Institute merged with the Brixton School of Building, City of Westminster College and National College for Heating, Ventilating, Refrigeration and Fan Engineering to form the Polytechnic of the South Bank. The Designation Ceremony took place at the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank on 22nd November 1971. Margaret Thatcher, the Education Secretary at the time was the special guest.

London South Bank University was established as the Borough Polytechnic Institute in 1892. In 1883 a local solicitor, Edric Bayley, heard that the government's Charity Commissioners had been given powers to redistribute redundant money from City of London parishes to improve the physical and moral condition of poor Londoners. This led him to set up the South London Polytechnic Institutes Council in 1887, whose members included the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lord Mayor of London. With Evan Spicer as its Chairman and the Prince of Wales as its President, the Council on the 16th January 1888 petitioned the Charity Commissioners for money. The petition was successful and the Charity Commissioners pledged funds to match any money up to £150,000 raised by the public to establish three polytechnics in South London. As a result a committee of the Council, the South London Polytechnic Institutes Committee, was appointed to raise the funds, select sites and make plans for the three polytechnics, chosen to be located at Elephant and Castle, New Cross and Battersea. After a public appeal by the Committee at Mansion House in June 1888, £78,000 was raised in four years to set up the Battersea and Borough Polytechnics. Also by 1892 the Borough Polytechnic's Governing Body had been set up and the British & Foreign Schools Society's, Borough Road Training College had been bought to house the Polytechnic.

The stated aims of the Charity Commissioners' Scheme for the Borough Polytechnic were 'the promotion of the industrial skill, general knowledge, health and wellbeing of young men and women belonging to the poorer classes' (LSBU/1/9/3). It was officially opened on 30 September 1892 by Lord Rosebery the Foreign Secretary. The first Chair of the Board of Governors was Edric Bayley, the first principal was Charles Millis and the Secretary and Clerk to the Board of Governors was William Richardson. From 1893 the Polytechnic received grants from the Technical Education Board (TEB) of the London County Council. And the London Polytechnic Council (LPC) was established to inspect and co-ordinate the work of the polytechnics. Both the TEB and the LPC were abolished following the London Education Act in 1904, when the London County Council took over responsibility for education in London.

From its inception, the Polytechnic focused on teaching skills relevant to industry and the workplace. The first 'Technical and Trade' classes were offered to apprentices or tradesmen and included woodcarving, boot and shoe manufacture, typography, oils and colours and varnishes. Women could attend classes in laundry, needlework and dressmaking. Science classes comprised chemistry, building construction and drawing, machine construction and drawing and hygiene and music courses, art and design, commercial classes and elocution were also offered in the early years, though most emphasis was placed on the trade classes. Bakery classes began in 1894 and by 1898 comprised the largest group of students at the Polytechnic. In 1899 the National School of Bakery and Confectionery (now the National Bakery School) was opened. In 1898 the Polytechnic introduced its own diplomas, though in 1921 the Ordinary National Certificate (ONC) and Higher National Certificate (HNC) were introduced.

From 1894 the Polytechnic established three Junior Technical Schools, partly in order to justify the employment of full-time staff: many rooms were unoccupied during the day as much of the teaching and activities took place in the evenings. The junior school also had the advantage of producing students able to take up the polytechnic's adult courses. The first school was the Domestic Economy School for Girls in 1894, followed by the Technical Day School for Boys in 1897 and the Day Trade School of Waistcoat-making for Girls in 1904. The schools, for boys and girls aged 12 years and above, taught practical skills for the home and the future workplace.

The governors of the Polytechnic sought to integrate their work with that of neighbouring institutions, in particular Herold's Institute, the London Technical School of Leather Manufacture and the Norwood Technical Institute. In 1907 some work was transferred to Morley College in an attempt to rationalise technical education in London, and a Joint Committee established (see LSBU/3/10/5). In 1917 commercial classes and some language work also transferred to Morley.

During the 1920s diplomas and certificate work for structured courses were introduced, pioneered by the Borough Polytechnic and soon after introduced at other polytechnics as part of a national system. Courses evolved over time and were continually adapted to the vocational needs of students. Single courses were divided into elementary and advanced parts, preliminary and ancillary courses were added, such as mathematics or basic science, and gradually the course grew until it became suitable for examination under the National Certificate or some other scheme. This led to a considerable amount of specialisation in course content and level.

During the Second World War, the polytechnic was bombed with more than 13,000 square feet of the buildings destroyed or made unsafe. New courses were introduced during the war, notably accelerated Higher National Certificate engineering courses under the Hankey scheme by Lord Hankey, Chairman of the War Cabinet's Scientific and Engineering Advisory Committee, and two-year engineering courses were developed for the army. At the end of the war degree courses in Pure Science and Engineering were introduced, which the polytechnic decided to concentrate on. Some courses were discontinued, such as welding, metal plate work and paper technology. Scientists were recruited from the services and war industries and accommodation and equipment required for degree standard work was developed. Due to the 1944 Education Act the junior schools were separated from the Polytechnic after the war. Degree courses were offered in the late 1940s and in 1955 the National Council for Technological Awards (NCTA) began awarding Diplomas of Technology and Technology Engineering. The diploma was the first major award of first degree standing for technical colleges and was quickly adopted by the Polytechnic's different departments. Further education and training was reorganised following the White Paper on Technical Education in 1956. The variety of levels of work at the Polytechnic meant that it was designated a regional college rather than a college of advanced technology, after which the governors decided to reduce the proportion of lower level work. The NCTA was replaced in 1964 by the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) and the South Bank Academic Board established. There was a large increase in full-time and sandwich courses in diploma, CNAA and external degree courses.

The publication of the White Paper 'A Plan for Polytechnics and Other Colleges', published in 1966, had announced the creation of some 30 polytechnics throughout the country to form what became called the public sector of the binary system of higher education. The 13 existing colleges managed by the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) were to be reorganised into five. The Borough Polytechnic Institute, the Brixton School of Building, City of Westminster College and the National College for Heating, Ventilating, Refrigeration and Fan Engineering joined together to become the Polytechnic of the South Bank in 1970.

First degree courses were the mainstay of the new polytechnic's activities, and by the mid-1970s departments were offering full-time or sandwich courses and part-time courses in each major discipline. There was a rise in full-time and sandwich education leading to diplomas, CNAA and external degree awards. CNAA honours degrees in several subjects replaced London external degrees and CNAA ordinary degree, and new awards were introduced. The polytechnic expanded its range of courses into new areas of work, including sociology, town planning, management, education and law, in an environment where science and engineering had been dominant. Courses such as dental technology and building crafts were also transferred in order to rationalise work at the Polytechnic. Engineering and science courses continued to be central, with electrical and mechanical engineering and chemical engineering particularly growing in importance. Postgraduate work increased during the 1970s and 1980s, with 16% of students studying on postgraduate courses by 1990. In 1976 Battersea College of Education was incorporated into the Polytechnic, as were the parts of the Rachel McMillan College of Education that provided courses at the New Kent Road annexe. During the 1980s the Polytechnic pioneered the provision of access courses, including one in legal studies, for part-time and mature students. A new Department of Hospitality, Food and Product Management provided a new range of courses, including hotel management and in 1988 the Polytechnic was accredited for first degrees by CNAA. In 1991 students from South West London College transferred to South Bank on the dissolution of the College, and the Central Catering College was also incorporated into the Polytechnic.

In 1987 the Polytechnic became known as South Bank Polytechnic, and as result of the 1988 Education Reform Act was awarded corporate status and became independent of local authority control. Funding of polytechnics was given over to a new body, the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council (PCFC), which was itself replaced in 1992 when the Higher and Further Education Act created a single Higher Education Funding Council, removing any remaining distinctions between polytechnics and universities. As a consequence South Bank Polytechnic became South Bank University on 18 June 1992 with the power to award its own degrees.

South Bank University consolidated and developed course specialities in computing, engineering, applied science; architecture, construction and estate management, business studies, management, languages and law, social sciences, arts, media studies and a new programme of Combined Honours degree subjects. In 1995 Redwood College of Health Studies and Charles West School of Nursing were incorporated into the University, bringing a number of health courses including nursing and allied health professions.

In 2003 the University underwent another name change to London South Bank University and teaching was split into four faculties: Arts and Human Sciences (AHS), Business, Computing & Information Management (BCIM) (from 2009 Business), Engineering, Science & the Built Environment (ESBE) and Health and Social Care (HSC).

The Borough Polytechnic Institute Day Trade School for Girls was established as the Waistcoat Making School - a trade school for girls - in October 1904 with 11 pupils. The trades taught soon expanded to include dressmaking and upholstery (in 1905) and ladies' tailoring and laundrywork (in 1908) and the School was renamed the Day Trade School for Girls. In 1947 the School was amalgamated with the Paragon Girls' Secondary Technical School, New Kent Road.

The Advisory Committees consisted of practical tradesmen and women who provided practical and specialist knowledge to teachers and assisted in finding employment for students at the end of their courses.

The Technical Day School for Boys opened in September 1897 to give boys, aged 12 and above, scientific and technical training with a view to them becoming skilled workmen and artificiers. It was evacuated to Exeter during the Second World War. In 1946 it amalgamated with the Beaufoy Junior Technical School to form the Borough-Beaufoy Secondary Technical School at the Beaufoy Institute.

The Council of the Polytechnic agreed to establish the awarding of Honorary Fellowships in 1976. The Polytechnic then began creating honorary graduates in 1989 and once it became a University in 1992 it started awarding honorary degrees. Candidates are required to demonstrate a notable contribution to either the University, education and academia in general or the local community.

The Joint Committee on Honorary Fellowships was established in 1980 comprising four members: two nominated from the Polytechnic of the South Bank Council and two from the Academic Board. The terms of reference were to consider nominations and submit names for the award of Honorary Fellow. Honorary Degrees were award after the Polytechnic was granted university status, but recipients were decided by a committee of the Academic Board.

In March 2002 the Joint Committee's terms of reference amended to create a single committee responsible for both the Honorary Fellowships and Degrees. This was named the Honorary Awards Joint Committee.

The Quality and Standards Committee was set up to review and advise on the development of University strategies regarding the student experience, learning, teaching and assessment. It also monitors the quality of the students' learning experience through the annual student satisfaction survey and receives reports of quality assessment or review reports from external professional and statutory bodies. The chair of the committee is the Pro Vice Chancellor (Students and Quality).

The Research Committee was established in 1994 as a sub-committee of the Academic Board. Its original terms of reference were to:

-Consider and advise the Academic Board on the promotion, conduct and development of research in the University;

-Review research activity and facilities with a view to identifying areas for development;

-Facilitate research initiatives in the University by preparing, in consultation with Faculties and Schools, a rolling strategic plan for research;

-Allocate University funded Research Scholarships to projects;

-Monitor and evaluate research achievements;

-Develop and keep under review the University's relations with external research funding bodies;

-Raise awareness of research activities and opportunities.

The Chair of the Committee has usually been the Vice-Chancellor.

The Property Committee was a committee of the Board of Governors which advised the Board on property and estates matters. For significant estates matters the committee liaised with the Policy and Resources Committee so that the financial impact may be assessed in the context of the University as a whole.

The Board closed the commitee on 14 May 2015 as part of the governance effectiveness review.

The British Youth Opera (BYO) was established in 1987 by Denis Coe, to provide additional training and performance opportunities for outstanding young musicians and experience to young stage, design and costume staff. Company members aged 22-30 years are recruited nationally each year for a Summer Season which features two major operas performed at Sadler's Wells, London and in at least one other major city. The Company also appears in concerts, galas and other musical events throughout the year. Many former members of BYO are now principals with major opera companies in the UK and abroad. The BYO's rehearsal facilities are based at London South Bank University, formerly South Bank University.

The Research Degrees Committee is a sub-committee of the Academic Board (LSBU/3/1). Its main responsibilities are to approve programmes of work proposed in applications for degrees of MPhil or PhD and to complete the examination process by advising the Academic Board of degrees to be conferred. The Committee ceased in August 2015 and the University Research Board of Study was set up instead (see LSBU/3/23)

Members of the Committee were appointed by nomination from the Executive Dean of the relevant Faculty.

The Audit Committee oversees the University's audit activities including auditing the financial statements, appointing the internal and external auditors and advising the Board of Governors on the effectiveness of the internal control system. It is a committee of the Board of Governors.

The Academic Structure Committee was Chaired by the Polytechnic's Director and established in 1972. The Committee met 28 times, received and circulated a number of topic papers, considered 67 submissions by individuals or groups and met 25 members of staff. Its careful recommendations, set out in the reports, advocated a departmental structure as against the then fashionable course-school matrix, to consist of 19 departments, reasonably uniform in size, in six faculties. Major resource responsibilities were to be at faculty level with four 'development areas' identified in Law, Education and Psychology, Applied Social Science and Humanities.

Despite widespread consultation, the proposals in the first report were savaged. The Committee withdrew its proposals and its second report in November 1973, after 30 more meetings, met with indifference rather than hostility, and seemed likely to be adopted however administrative support could not be gained and the proposals misfired. Modest changes were later implemented with minimum change to the existing departments, with the establishment of four faculties in 1973-74, which were Administrative Studies, Built Environment, Human Studies & Education and Science & Engineering.

The award was first presented in 1978 at the instigation of the Caroline Hasslet Memorial Trust and Institution of Electronic and Electrical Technician Engineers (now the Institution of Engineering and Technology). It was initially called the Girl Technician of the Year award and was renamed the Young Woman Engineer of the Year in 1988.

Every department of the Polytechnic of the South Bank had its own student society. The Environmental Engineering department formed part of the Faculty of Environmental Science and Technology.

H. R. F. Bulletin was produced by the National College and contained abstracts of articles concerning heating, refrigeration and fan engineering from trade journals.

RAG Week is an annual fundraising event, raising money for different charities. In the late 1960s until 1970 the Borough Polytechnic contributed to a joint RAG Week organised by London colleges. After the creation of the Polytechnic of the South Bank it organised its own RAG Weeks.

Battersea College of Education began life in 1894 as the Battersea Training School of Domestic Economy which formed part of the Women's Studies' Department of Battersea Polytechnic Institute. Eleven full time students started their course in 1894 after a special grant had been given to Battersea Polytechnic by the London County Council to open a teacher training school in domestic economy and in 1895 Battersea was officially recognised as a teachers' training school by the Board of Education. New accommodation was opened in 1903 and in January 1911 the first hall of residence was opened, with further halls provided in 1914.

On 1st August 1948 the LCC took over management of the Department from Battersea Polytechnic and re-designated it Battersea College of Domestic Science. In 1949 the Department moved from the Polytechnic to the Manor House on Clapham Common Northside. A programme of building was undertaken, including a new science block which opened in 1954, and further buildings opening in 1960 and 1968. The College acquired a new site, Manresa House in Roehampton, in September 1962, which became the Battersea Training College for Primary Teachers, providing day courses for men and women, which first began on 30th April 1963.

On 1st April 1965 responsibility for the college was transferred from the LCC to the newly established Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) and became known as the Battersea College of Education. The College became a constituent college of the University of London Institute of Education, with courses leading to a Teachers' Certificate with special reference to domestic subjects and Department of Education and Science recognition of Qualified Teacher Status.

Following the Government's White Paper "A Framework for Expansion" in 1973, the College merged with the Polytechnic of the South Bank in 1976. Manresa House was closed in 1979, and primary education students were transferred to Rachel McMillan College, an annexe of which would also come to merge with the Polytechnic. Home Economics students remained at Manor House until the early 1980s when students were transferred to the Polytechnic's Southwark campus.