In-person | The Architectural History of UCL’s Bloomsbury Campus
About this Event
Since 1942, the Lunch Hour Lecture series has brought audiences together to explore pioneering ideas and research from across UCL. Join us on campus, in our bicentennial year, as we celebrate the return of this much-loved tradition with an inspiring live lunchtime lecture.
Free and open to all. A packed lunch will be provided for guests.
About the lecture
UCL holds an important place in the history of British education, both as London’s first university and as the first in the country to accept people of all faiths and creeds. This lecture considers the design and construction of its iconic neoclassical building on Gower Street – intended as a symbol of UCL’s institutional identity and an expression of its radical and progressive founding principles – and the extensive growth of its Bloomsbury campus since then. The story is a complex and engaging one, with a great diversity of buildings, old and new, all closely linked to UCL’s academic progression, and it shows how influential the university has been in shaping the distinctive character of the Bloomsbury district.
This lecture leans heavily on research undertaken for Survey of London, Monograph 19, University College London: The Bloomsbury Campus – the first authoritative account of the architectural history of UCL – published this year by UCL Press to coincide with the university’s bicentenary. A free PDF of the volume is available here.
About the speaker
Colin Thom is Director of the Survey of London, where for many years now he has contributed to the research, writing, editing and production of the Survey’s renowned series of volumes on London’s history and architecture. He edited the landmark 50th volume, Battersea: Houses and Housing (2013) and co-edited the two-volume set on South-East Marylebone (2017), which was awarded the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain’s prestigious Colvin Prize for 2018 as the leading work of reference on an architectural subject. An MA Honours graduate of Glasgow University, Colin worked in the photo and film archive of London Transport Museum before joining the Survey. As well as his main interest in London’s built environment, Colin is also an expert on the eighteenth-century architect Robert Adam. He edited a collection of new research on Adam, Robert Adam and his Brothers (2019), and is currently working on a new edition of Adam’s Grand Tour correspondence.
About the chair
Chair to be announced.
Accessibility
UCL’s Wilkins Building is a fully accessible venue and there is step-free access to the Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre via the lift in the South Cloister.
Accessible step-free seats are available in the lecture theatre itself and further information is available on Access Able: AccessAble - Your Accessibility Guide.
Should you have any further questions or need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us by emailing [email protected].
Agenda
🕑: 01:00 PM - 01:45 PM
Lunch in Wilkins Building
🕑: 01:45 PM - 02:00 PM
Guests invited into Gustav Tuck Lecture Theatre
🕑: 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Lecture
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 0.00
