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Our history and heritage

The University of Birmingham grew out of the radical vision of our first Chancellor, Joseph Chamberlain. Founded in 1900, the University was England’s first civic university, a place where students from all backgrounds were accepted on an equal basis. Today, the Edgbaston campus has grown to cover 672 acres, and there is a campus in Dubai. Each year, more than 40,000 students from across the world study at Birmingham.

Our size has changed, but our civic commitment has not

From its earliest days, Birmingham pushed the boundaries of research in medicine and the sciences. Our roots were seeded in 1767 in the early medical education seminars of Mr John Tomlinson, ‘First Surgeon’ to the Birmingham Workhouse Infirmary. Mason Science College was founded by Kidderminster-born industrialist and philanthropist Josiah Mason in 1875, becoming Mason University College in 1898. At the time, England’s only other independent universities were in Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and London. 

Chamberlain sought to provide “a great school of universal instruction”, so that “the most important work of original research should be continuously carried on under most favourable circumstances”. Granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria on 24 March 1900 - and with generous donations of land and funds - the University of Birmingham was born.

It was an ambitious undertaking from someone who had been considered a radical liberal and who caused offence among the elite classes with his demands for social reform. Chamberlain is probably best known for implementing the ‘civic gospel’ which brought gas, water and street lighting into council hands at the cost of ratepayers.

Dr Matt Cole has explored the life and legacy of Joseph Chamberlain; a legacy “so broad and idiosyncratic that it is likely to leave no one in full agreement with him”.  

Since 1900, the University of Birmingham has been leading the way, changing the way the world works with research that addresses the world’s greatest challenges. This includes 10 Nobel Prize-winners as well as Olympic stars and renowned politicians.

Birmingham is where pacemakers and plastic heart valves were developed, where the first artificial vitamin (Vitamin C) was synthesised, and where the cavity magnetron was developed, leading to radar and the microwave oven. Its academics pioneered allergy vaccines and held the first clinical trials of the contraceptive pill outside the US.

It has been integral to some of the greatest scientific discoveries of recent times, such as the Higgs Boson and Gravitational Waves, and is pioneering new approaches to tackling major global issues; from antibiotic resistance and maternal health to conflict resolution and access to education. 

The University leads the field in many emerging disciplines, including nanotechnology, gene therapy, robotics and the use of virtual reality in the study of archaeology, and is continually developing new initiatives to enrich teaching and learning.  

A university of firsts

We were the first university to...

At the heart of the Edgbaston campus lie the iconic redbrick buildings of Chancellor’s Court, one legacy of Joseph Chamberlain. Designed by leading architect Sir Aston Webb, they surround the soaring clock tower, affectionately known as ‘Old Joe’, which can be seen across Birmingham: an emblem of the University’s prestige.

Did you know?

  • The clock tower is 325ft (99.06m) high
  • It is the largest freestanding clock tower in the world
  • It is based on the Mangia Tower in Siena, Italy
  • The clock has its own account on X!
Old Joe clocktower against a blue sky with white fluffy clouds

The University has expanded and improved its campus over the years, resulting in a range of architecture and iconic buildings, including Muirhead Tower with its ‘brutalist’ architecture, the modern lines of the Teaching and Learning Building, and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, a grade-two-listed Art Deco building designed by Robert Atkinson and opened in 1939 by Queen Mary. At the Green Heart of the campus is a striking 12-acre parkland, completed as part of a £500 million, five-year estates redevelopment plan.

While preserving its rich heritage, the University remains committed to expanding and improving its teaching and research facilities to provide a modern, vibrant, sustainable campus that gives students, staff and visitors the very best experience.