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Club tradition held that the Polytechnic Fencing Society was originally founded in 1883, and there are records of fencing displays taking place at the Polytechnic as early as 1881. However, the Polytechnic Magazine records the first formal meeting of the Fencing Society as having taken place on November 25th 1898, with officers elected including Douglas Hogg as president. As well as holding the presidency Hogg is recorded as having been an active fencer who won the Club Championship in 1899. In 1902 the club was one of the founding constituents of the Amateur Fencing Association.

Membership appears to have fluctuated in the years before the First World War, but in 1918 the club was reconstituted by Captain W. C. James with Major W. B. Marchant as president. By the late 1920s fencing was taking place throughout the year and the club was active in competition. A new constitution was enacted in October 1927 and Sir Kynaston Studd elected President. Notable club members from this time include British champion and Olympian A. E Pelling who was awarded the Studd Trophy in 1934. By 1937 the club had 104 members and was beginning to suffer from overcrowding.

The Second World War disrupted the club's activities, but fencing was quickly resumed at the end of hostilities. In the post-war period the club thrived, particularly with the appointment of the instructor Bela Imregi in the late 1950s. During the 1960s and 1970s the club achieved major competition victories and club members included the Olympians Martin Beevers, John Deanfield, and Stephen Netburn, and Commonwealth champions Richard Cohen, David Eden and Jim Philbin. The club merged with the Polytechnic Ladies Fencing club in 1972.

PSI was formed in 1978 through the merger of Political and Economic Planning (PEP, established in 1931) and the Centre for Studies in Social Policy (CSSP, established in 1972). In January 1998, PSI became a wholly-owned subsidiary company of the University of Westminster, fully merging with the University in April 2009. The Institute retains its name, and continues to undertake the policy-relevant, high quality research for which it has always been noted.

A history of the PSI was produced on the occasion of its 75th anniversary in 2006: http://www.psi.org.uk/pdf/PSIbrochure.pdf

The earliest mention of "Mr. Scott Durant's Reading Circle" is in the 27 September 1893 issue of the Polytechnic Magazine, when it mentions that they will be using the Cavendish Hall on Wednesday.

The Reading Circle covered authors such as Shakespeare and Thomas Carlyle, and its members presented papers on the themes and historical background of the works they were reading. There were also regular social activities and trips, including those organised by the Polytechnic Touring Association.

The last mention of the Reading Circle in the Polytechnic Magazine is in 1909. The 1932 obituary of Mr W Scott-Durrant in the Magazine states that "Few but the oldest of our members will remember Mr. Scott-Durrant, who organised and, with marked ability, presided over the 'Literary Society'. It was he who continued the course of Sunday afternoon lectures on 'Egypt' which were being given by our Founder, Mr. Ouintin Hogg, and which were left unfinished at his death."

The Hanover Lawn Tennis Club had its first meeting on 24 April 1882 with A. J. Beavan elected Hon. Secretary and E Ravani elected captain. By 1884 AH Thorne was writing to the Magazine to complain about the practice of Poly members trying to take part on both cricket and lawn tennis matches simultaneously. By May 1885, the Club had become the Lawn Tennis Section of the Hanover United Athletic Club, thereafter the Polytechnic Athletic Club. A Ladies Club was formed by at least 1893 and the sport was also played in the Girls School. Lawn Tennis was played at Merton Hall and also at Paddington, later moving to Chiswick.

During World War 1, the club ceased its activities as the Chsiwick ground was given over to wartime activities. It re-started in May 1919 although they were still waiting for the courts at Chiswick to become playable again. They built up their numbers again and continued to play during World war 2, until 1941 and resumed in 1946. Mrs Ethel Wood served as the club's president after the Second World War.