The University of Salford is a plate glass university based in Salford, Greater Manchester, England with approximately 20,000 registered students. The main campus is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Manchester city centre, on the A6, opposite the former home of the physicist, James Prescott Joule and the Working Class Movement Library. It is situated in 60 acres (240,000 m) of parkland on the banks of the River Irwell. The University's origins can be traced to 1896 when it opened as the Royal Technical Institute, Salford. This itself resulted from a merger of the Salford Working Men's College, which was founded in 1858, and Pendleton Mechanics' Institute which was founded in 1850. The Royal Technical Institute, Salford received royal letters, after the then Duke and Duchess of York (later to become King George V and Queen Mary) officiated at the opening ceremony. This event is commemorated in the university's Redbrick Peel Building. This opening allowed the word 'Royal' to be appended to name of the institute. At the start of the 20th century, mechanical engineering, chemical works, textiles and construction dominated the industrial scene in Salford.