Historic campus

Explore the University's heritage with tours of some of our historic buildings.

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Whitworth Building

The Whitworth Building is home to the University’s ceremonial Whitworth Hall, built between 1898 and 1902 to commemorate Manchester engineer Joseph Whitworth (1803–87).

The hall was designed by Alfred Waterhouse, one of Britain's best-known architects, who also designed Manchester Town Hall and the Natural History Museum in London. Today, the hall is used for our graduation ceremonies, which take place in the summer and winter each year.

Old Quad

The Old Quad is the oldest part of the University and, as with Whitworth Hall, all its buildings were by Alfred Waterhouse.

In addition to the Whitworth Building, the Quad features the John Owens and Beyer Buildings. Named after the originator of Owens College and one of the University's ancestral foundations, the John Owens Building originally housed all subjects except Chemistry and Medicine.