The University College of Nottingham on Shakespeare Street was opened in June 1881 by Prince Leopald, Duke of Albany. The study of Russian at the College was first suggested by Arthur Durose, Chairman of the Nottingham Chamber of Commerce, in 1915 on behalf of the College Principal, William H Heaton. Russia had become Britain’s “glorious ally” in World War I and learning the Russian language was seen as essential to exploit new opportunities for trade.
The Chamber of Commerce assisted in appointing a teacher, Basil Slepchenko, and contributed £50 a year for two years to assist with the expense. In addition, they donated a prize of excellence and obtained a donation of 200 books from the Russian Ministry of Education. Russian classes, offered both in the day and the evening, began at the College in Autumn 1915.
Slepchenko and his successor, Janko Lavrin, lectured and held classes in Shakespeare Street until the opening of the new Trent building at Highfields in 1928. The building is now known as the Arkwright Building and is owned by Nottingham Trent University.