History of UCL: the essential prequel for incoming freshers

About to join us on UCL campus? Here is what you have missed over the previous couple of centuries.

Next month, thousands of new students will enrol into University College London (UCL). They will follow in the footsteps of some of the most successful people in their fields, including the creator of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell; Mahatma Gandhi, who is considered the Father of the Nation in India; and even the hilarious Ricky Gervais.

But what is the history of UCL? Who founded London's oldest university? Who was it founded for? When was the campus built and how has it changed over time? Here's the truth about UCL.

The contentious creation of ‘London University’

UCL was founded on February 11, 1826, when education in the United Kingdom was markedly different from what it is today. The creation of UCL - then known as London University - completely defied the status quo. By building a campus in the heart of Bloomsbury, London was graced with its first university; but more importantly, it was the first secular university in the UK, and therefore, the only institution to admit students irrespective of faith.

UCL's reputation as an inclusive university continued throughout the nineteenth century. In 1878, UCL became Britain's first university to accept female applicants on the same terms as men.

The key founders of UCL - James Mill, Henry Brougham and Henry Crabb Robinson - were inspired by the utilitarian thinker Jeremy Bentham. Bentham's impact was so profound that many students, including philosopher John Stuart Mill, continued to champion his utilitarian ideas.

Almost 200 years later, references to the so-called “spiritual father” of UCL can be spotted across campus. Nonetheless, it is a common misconception that Bentham was directly involved in the creation of UCL - one so widespread that it has gone on to inspire “The Four Founders of University College London,” professor Henry Tonks’ 1922 mural, depicting a fictional meeting between Bentham and the three founders.

On campus, you will inevitably pass Jeremy Bentham, whose body has been preserved and turned into an “auto-icon”; having resided in South Cloisters since 1850, Bentham was recently moved to the new Student Centre. Buildings and lecture theatres on campus, including the Jeremy Bentham Lecture Theatre and Bentham House, also bear the name of the radical thinker.

A Religious Rivalry

"that godless college in Gower Street.”

The intentions of the university's founders were extremely controversial at the time, and consequently, UCL was dubbed as "that godless college in Gower Street.” In fact, the university’s rivalry with King’s College London (KCL) stems from the the late 1820s, when KCL was set up in direct response to UCL and sought to provide a Christian-led education in London to combat UCL's secular approach.

UCL's support from Jews, utilitarians and non-Anglicans partially prompted KCL to declare that their principal objective was "to imbue the minds of youth with a knowledge of the doctrines and duties of Christianity, as inculcated by the United Church of England and Ireland."

Since then, the rivalry between students on the Strand and those here, in Bloomsbury, has grown further. During the 20th century, the mascots of both universities were frequently kidnapped by students of the rival institution. The most infamous encounter was in the Great rag of 1922, when KCL students captured UCL's now controversial mascot, Phineas, off of Tottenham Court Road. UCL students retaliated, and after an hour of intense combat, Phineas was returned to Bloomsbury.

Today, the rivalry is contested across the capital's sports fields and indoor arenas. Thanks to the Students’ Union, those of you joining UCL in September will have the chance to join a wide variety of sports teams and societies. UCL students were leading in the 2020 London Varsity series before the pandemic halted proceedings. Of the five completed London Varsity series, which have been contested since 2014, UCL has come out top in all but one.

The sports clubs as well as other societies are affiliated to the Students' Union. The history of the Union dates back to 1893, and again, UCL claims that the Union is the first student representative body of its kind in the history of any British higher education institution.

Quarrel with the past

Last year, the UCL Students' Union voted to remove the statue of the university's 120-year old mascot, Phineas Maclino. The Blackwatch soldier has been a part of UCL history since the “mafficking” celebrations, after the siege of Ladysmith.

The Union's decision to remove Phineas was justified because of the statue’s link to racially prejudiced colonial policies and the controversial tactics used by the British military during the Second Boer War. Nonetheless, there has been no move to change the name of the Students’ Union bar, which has been called “Phineas” since 1993.

These changes have been a part of further reflection from students at UCL. Earlier this summer, the university decided to “dename” buildings and lecture theatres named after Francis Galton and Karl Pearson. Both men had connections to UCL, and both men were advocates of eugenics.

Growing Pains

The construction of UCL's main building commenced in 1827, when William Wilkins, who went on to design the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, began laying the foundations for building the campus. However, it would not be until 1985, when Queen Elizabeth II opened the main building - now called the Wilkins Building - that it would be completed.

Many of you will use the capital's great train networks, especially the Underground, to get to university. However, at the time of construction, London was experiencing an enormous change in its travel networks. Students would have to wait until 1863 for the creation of the Metropolitan Line to have rail access to Gower Street. Students would have to wait even longer, until 1907, for Warren Street and Russell Square to open.

From the steps of the main building, you will see UCL's iconic Cruciform Building. Completed in 1906, the Cruciform functioned as University College Hospital for almost a century. UCL purchased the building after it closed in 1995. Renovation works costing £50 million restored the Grade II listed building, however, inside it retains much of its original grandeur.

In 2019, the Student Centre was added to UCL Bloomsbury campus. The modern, state-of-the-art building has increased the campus' study space capacity by 1,104 and, importantly, has been used as a place for students to socialise and for societies to connect with the student population.

Many students may be aware that by 2023 UCL is expected to expand even further in east London. The UCL East campus, which was first approved by UCL Council in 2014, will be the site of learning for almost 4,000 students across eight different faculties.

Far fewer students will know that during the Second World War many students were exiled outside of London and, rather than moving to the east, ventured very far westward. Former students, including Betty Romary, have spoken in detail about the move from Bloomsbury to Aberystwyth in Ceredigion, Wales. It almost seems that the site of UCL main building, formerly called “Carmarthen” Square, prophesied a connection between Wales and the university.

Old Gowers and the Bloomsbury Group

According to the UCL website, 29 former students or staff members have received Nobel awards, the most recent of which was just six years ago when John O'Keefe was awarded the prize for medicine.

Nonetheless, UCL alumni list stretches far beyond Nobel prize winners. In 1996, a group of fresh-faced students moved into Ramsay Hall; they went on to form Coldplay and produced hits including “Yellow” and “Paradise.”

By living in the heart of London, you will also surround yourself with the history of many individuals of notoriety. In the streets around Bloomsbury, you will see numerous blue plaques that symbolise the notable men and women who have lived or worked in the buildings they cling to.

There are over 170 blue plaques throughout the borough of Camden. However, three notable names include the naturalist Charles Darwin, the pioneer of the women's suffrage movement, Millicent Fawcett, and the economist John Maynard Keynes, all of whom lived a stone's throw away from the university.

Keynes was also a part of the Bloomsbury Group - a set of writers and intellectuals, who all called the streets that surround UCL their home. The novelist Virginia Woolf may have been a student at KCL, but in 1904 Woolf was living at 46 Gordon Square.

Finally, Pi Media will enter its 75th year of existence in 2021, having a rich history as the university's largest student paper. Launched in 1946, the magazine, which bears the name of the former provost David Pye, sought to bind UCL students together after years of wartime division.

In the late forties and fifties, the paper continued to bring students together with the "Through the Letter-Box" columns. It is very similar today, within the magazine's student-led lifestyle articles and, of course, its PiTV interviews. Former contributors include the British journalist Jonathan Dimbleby - younger brother of David.

For those of you counting down to what is a rather unusual results day, we wish you the best of luck, and we hope you look forward to being a part of UCL's history from September, but also in the years to follow.