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Building Our Story: 200 Years of Campus Life at Manchester

24 Jul 2025

A new book uncovers the people, places and politics that shaped our University’s iconic campus.

Building Towards the Bicentenary

A new book published by The University of Manchester offers a captivating look at how our campus has evolved over two centuries—revealing the stories behind the buildings we walk past every day.

Building Towards the Bicentenary: A Campus History of the University of Manchester 1824–2024 is a richly illustrated volume that explores how our built environment reflects the University’s changing identity, values and ambitions.

Co-edited by Dr Martin Dodge (Department of Geography) and Dr James Hopkins (historian and former Head of Heritage), the book blends academic insight with personal accounts and rarely seen archive material. From the Mechanics’ Institute to the modern-day campus, it charts the transformation of our spaces and the people who shaped them.

The book features iconic landmarks like Whitworth Hall, the John Rylands Library and Jodrell Bank’s Lovell Telescope, alongside lesser-known stories—such as lost rivers, Cold War-era nuclear reactors, and even plans for an underground station that never came to be.

A standout chapter focuses on Owens College, whose Gothic Revival buildings by Alfred Waterhouse helped define the University’s early identity. These structures, the editors argue, still echo the civic ambition and intellectual seriousness that remain central to our mission.

The post-war boom in science and engineering also gets a spotlight, with a look at the rapid expansion of labs and lecture theatres in response to Cold War pressures and rising student numbers.

“This book offers the public a chance to see behind the scenes,” said Dr Hopkins. “To understand why buildings were built the way they were, and how the campus continues to evolve to meet the needs of students, researchers and the wider city.”

The publication was made possible through support from the School of Environment, Education and Development, the University Library, and long-standing partners including Avison Young, Arcadis, Balfour Beatty, BDP, CBRE, Halliday Meecham Architects, Recom Solutions, Rider Levett Bucknall, and Sheppard Robson.

Whether you’re new to the University or have worked here for decades, Building Towards the Bicentenary is a reminder that our campus is more than bricks and mortar—it’s a living, evolving reflection of who we are.

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