A brief history of the University

Laying of the foundation stone of Trent building

1881 - Nottingham’s first civic college

Nottingham's first civic college was opened in the city centre in 1881, four years after the foundation stone was laid by former Prime Minister, W E Gladstone. An anonymous benefactor had offered £10,000 for a college on condition that a suitable building be erected by the Council and that the college should be provided with £4,000 a year.

1928 - The move to University Park

After the First World War, the college outgrew its original building. A generous gift by Sir Jesse Boot, of 35 acres of land at Highfields, presented the solution and in 1928 the College moved to what is now the main campus, University Park . Initially, it was accommodated in the elegant Trent Building and was officially opened by King George V in November of that year.

Even in its early days on this site, the College attracted high profile visiting lecturers including Professor Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi and H G Wells.

1948 – Becoming The University of Nottingham

In 1948, the college was awarded the Royal Charter and became The University of Nottingham, now able to award degrees in its own name. During this period the School of Agriculture was established when the Midland College of Agriculture at Sutton Bonington merged with the University.

Continued growth

The University of Nottingham continued to grow and still focuses on its development.

The Medical School : In 1970 we established the UK’s first Medical School in the 20th century, and in 1995 the School of Nursing was formed following the merger of the Mid-Trent College of Nursing and Midwifery. In 2003 a new campus was opened in Derby City General Hospital
Jubilee Campus : The £50 million Jubilee Campus development opened in 1999 and subsequently phase two opened in March 2009. The campus has won numerous awards due to its environmentally-friendly features
Malaysia Campus : The University opened a campus in Malaysia in 1999. Subsequently a new purpose-built park campus was opened in September 2005 in Semenyih, Malaysia, close to Kuala Lumpur International Airport
King’s Meadow Campus : In March 2005 The University opened the King’s Meadow Campus in the former Carlton Television Studios. The campus is home to many of The University’s administrative and support units, Manuscripts and Special Collections and two television studios
China Campus : In February 2006 a purpose-built campus was opened in the city of Ningbo, China, as part of a joint venture. The University then became the first foreign university to establish an independent campus in China
School of Veterinary Medicine and Science : The University of Nottingham officially opened the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science in April 2007. It is the first purpose-built new veterinary school to be opened in the UK in 50 years

The University of Nottingham

University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

telephone: +44 (0) 115 951 5151
fax: +44 (0) 115 951 3666
email: enquiries@nottingham.ac.uk

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