[1][2] Appointed professor of Constitutional History at University College London in 1903, his inaugural address, a year later, argued for the need for a postgraduate school of historical research.

[3] With a generous and anonymous donation of £20,000 from Sir John Cecil Power in 1920[4] towards the founding of the institute, Pollard's dream was realised.

It was the first organisation to be administered under such an arrangement, and as such provided the model for other institutes, many of which later joined the IHR in the University of London's School of Advanced Study.

[5] Despite the supposedly temporary nature of this accommodation, the IHR was not to move until 1947, when it took up residence in the north block of Senate House.

[7] The IHR's role comprises the following: To promote the study of history and an appreciation of the importance of the past among academics and the general public, in London, in Britain and internationally, and to provide institutional support and individual leadership for this broad historical community To offer a wide range of services which promote and facilitate excellence in historical research, teaching and scholarship in the UK, by means of its library, seminars, conferences, fellowships, training and publications (both print and digital) To further high quality research into particular aspects of the past by its research centres – the Centre for Metropolitan History and the Victoria County History of England To provide a welcoming environment where historians at all stages in their careers and from all parts of the world can meet formally and informally to exchange ideas and information, and to bring themselves up to date with current developments in historical scholarship In order to fulfil its role as defined above, the IHR maintains different academic institutions, such as a library, the seminar programme as well as several integrated bodies and programmes.

In its early years the IHR library was built up by actively seeking donations, and much of the collection was formed from bequests and gifts by individuals and organisations.

[22] Among the IHR's extensive collection of books on European history are a set of volumes of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica and other works donated to the University of London by the Nazi government of Germany in 1937.

As an example, the sizeable portion of the IHR's colonial and early national holdings in the United States collection was donated to the library by the widow of George Louis Beer between 1921 and 1925.

Previous lectures have been presented by Linda Colley, Roy Strong, Michael Wood, Simon Thurley and David Starkey.

[29] In IHR leads an inter-institutional initiative within the School of Advanced Study to explore and deliver open access research publications.