A Degree of Excellence - Buildings
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How does one find it not, let me say at once, by the normal method of discovery in London, of hailing a cab. If you ask simply for the University of London, your driver will look blank. Or he may, as happened to me, seek further confirmation: 'Oh, you mean the place beside the Royal School of Needlework?' (Beveridge, 1919)
The reconstituted University of London not only needed more space for its central administration but required a more visible presence to enhance its public profile in the metropolis. In 1927, the University acquired the current Bloomsbury site and, in 1931, Charles Holden FRIBA was chosen to design a new building for the University because of his distinctive, bold style of architecture.
A variety of buildings were encompassed by the federal University. Some institutions were housed in significant historical structures and some in more humble residences. When a move or redevelopment was planned, the University took pride in choosing young, innovative architects to create new buildings of distinction. The ideal of creating excellent workspace whilst catching the public eye with architectural merit remains today.
With the relocation, in 1990, of the Courtauld Gallery into Somerset House, one part of the history of the University's accommodation has come full circle. It was within that building that the University acquired its first modest space between 1836 and 1853.
