‘Building Towards Bicentenary’ book traces campus architectural evolution
The richly illustrated book offers fascinating new insights into the University’s 200-year history through rarely seen archive material, maps and photography.
A new book released following our bicentenary year casts a spotlight on our iconic campus – and how two centuries of architectural change have helped shape it.
Published by The University of Manchester and co-edited by Dr Martin Dodge (Department of Geography) and historian and former Head of Heritage Dr James Hopkins, Building Towards Bicentenary: A Campus History of The University of Manchester 1824-2024 offers a unique exploration of how our built environment reflects our evolving identity.
The book charts the transformation of our buildings and public spaces, from the earliest days of the Mechanics’ Institute to the modernist developments of the 1960s through to the present day, with chapters focusing on much-loved buildings such as Whitworth Hall, the John Rylands Library and the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank.
Readers will delight in little known aspects of campus history, including lost rivers, nuclear reactors, Toblerone-shaped halls of residences and unrealised plans for an underground station, and can explore the architectural significance of Owens College and how its Gothic Revival buildings helped to establish a distinct identity in Victorian Manchester.
A dedicated section also explores the post-war expansion of our science and engineering facilities – a more pragmatic approach to construction driven by Cold War priorities and rising student numbers – and how these structures would help to define our University’s mid-20th-century landscape.
“The University of Manchester has one of the most diverse and dynamic campuses in the UK,” said Dr Dodge. “We wanted to tell the story of how it came to be – not just through architecture, but through the people, planning and politics which shaped each phase of growth.”
“This book offers the public a chance to see behind the scenes – 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,” added Dr Hopkins.
