Our history

Our story

The formative years (1881 - 1888)

The University of Liverpool was originally founded as University College, Liverpool in 1881. It officially opened its doors a year later in 1882 to just 45 students, with 6 chair positions and 2 lectureships. The first college building was located on Ashton Street, which is still at the heart of campus today.  

In 1884, the College was admitted as a member of the federal Victoria University in association with colleges in Manchester and Leeds. From that point, it began to progress rapidly in terms of available equipment and teaching strength. In the following years, a number of buildings were erected to house large laboratories, funded by gifts from local philanthropists and benefactors. These laboratories helped to significantly increase the institution’s teaching strength in chemistry, engineering, physiology and pathology. During the 1890s, 8 more chair positions were endowed, as well as many lectureships and scholarships.

The original red brick (1889-1902)

The late 19th century saw one of the major events in the University’s history. Construction started on our iconic redbrick Victoria Building in 1889, designed by architect Alfred Waterhouse. This would not have been possible without the generous gifts and fundraising from the people of Liverpool. Sir William Hartley funded the clock and bells for the tower and Sir Henry Tate funded the entire library block of the building (now the Tate Hall). 

The Victoria Building was officially opened in 1892 by Lord Spencer, marking Liverpool as the original redbrick. During the early 1900s the College gained confidence and built substantial respect from the city of Liverpool. More subject-based schools were established, including a training college for teachers, a school of architecture, a school of commerce, a school of law, a school of public health and the school of tropical medicine.  

The establishment of these schools meant the College gained a positive reputation among the intellectuals of the city, as well as showcasing the direct impact of higher education studies to the wider Liverpool community. As public and city council support for the College grew with increased collaboration, the college began to develop its own distinctive character. 

Royal Charter and the 20th century

The new century brought about some big changes for Liverpool. The University as we know it today was established in 1903 following the granting of a royal charter. Due to the close relationship between the city and the University, it came to be seen as a distinguished institution among British universities. 

By 1907, the University was taking shape, structured into five faculties. These were arts, science, medicine, law and engineering. The Faculty of Arts was the largest, both in the number of students and the number of its endowed chairs. Liverpool’s originality was beginning to thrive due to giving prominence to the study of the arts. 

After the royal charter was granted, the University continued its remarkable growth thanks to more generous gifts. Various new buildings were erected on campus, including the George Holt Physical Laboratory, the William Johnston Laboratory of Medical Research, a new medical school building, laboratories for zoology and electrical engineering, and the first British laboratory of physical chemistry, built by Mr. E. K. Muspratt.  

By 1907, there were more than 1,000 students enrolled at the University for the first time. During this time, a sizeable School of Archaeology was also established. It would go on to become one of the most respected in the country, with 3 dedicated chair positions and organised expeditions to Egypt, Central America and Asia. Alongside the School, the Garstang Museum was established by Professor John Garstang. 

The early 20th century brought about several notable discoveries and innovations from academics based at the University too, which helped to put the University on the map. From discovery of the synapse and developments in chemotherapy treatment to physics discoveries and working to eradicate smallpox.  

This period cemented the University as a place for making discoveries and where innovation is encouraged, a value we still hold as greatly important to this day. 

Russell Group founders

In 1994, the University of Liverpool became a founding member of the Russell Group, which has gone on to have an incredible impact on the UK’s higher education sector, along with other top-performing UK research-led universities. 

The Group brings together 24 leading research-intensive universities to ensure that member universities have optimum conditions to flourish and continue to make social, economic and cultural impacts. 

21st century developments and partnerships

Another notable development in the University’s recent history is the opening of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) in partnership with Xi’an Jiaotong University – a top 10 university in China - in 2006. XJTLU allows students from both universities to study overseas as part of their degrees, and has grown to become an established, innovative university based in China, offering multiple options for study. 

The early 2000s also brought about lots of growth on campus for the University, with building developments including the renovation of the Victoria Gallery and Museum, our original redbrick building, which was transformed into a public venue for the local community to enjoy. Various state-of-the-art teaching laboratories were also opened during this time, extending the University’s abilities in physics, earth sciences, chemistry and archaeology teaching.

The Materials Innovation Factory, built as part of a longstanding partnership with Unilever, also opened in 2018, and has been an important centre of research innovation and partnerships ever since. 

During 2020, the University played an influential role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our laboratories helped us understand how the virus affected people, we helped to map the spread of disease, as well as assessing how testing should be rolled out. Our expertise in this area helped in establishing the globally-connected Pandemic Institute in 2021. 

The University of Liverpool is now organised into 3 faculties with 35 departments and schools. We offer more than 400 undergraduate and postgraduate courses with over 30,000 students. In 2023 we were proud to be rated Gold for educational excellence in the Teaching Excellence Framework. 

Timeline and key events

• 1882 - University College, Liverpool opens its doors to 45 students
• 1884 - The College is admitted as a member of the federal Victoria University
• 1885 - A spacious chemical laboratory is opened 
• 1887 - The College launches a fundraising appeal to erect a purpose-built headquarters, and Alfred Waterhouse is asked to draw up plans 
• 1889 - Sir A. B. Walker gifts a large engineering laboratory
• 1889 - Construction starts on the iconic redbrick Victoria building
• 1892 - Victoria building is completed and officially opened in December 1892 by Lord Spencer 
• 1894 - Oliver Lodge makes the world's first public radio transmission at the University 
• 1896 - Oliver Lodge took the first surgical X-ray in the United Kingdom
• 1898 - Arthur Bulley buys farmland in Ness, which he would go on to develop into a family home, house and garden. Eventually becoming Ness Gardens
• 1899 - Liverpool University Press is founded
• 1903 - The royal charter is granted which establishes the University of Liverpool
• 1904 - Garstang Museum of Archaeology is founded 
• 1906 - First British laboratory of physical chemistry, built by Mr. E. K. Muspratt
• 1938 - Harold Cohen Library is opened
• 1941 - Leahurst Campus is established to house the Veterinary School clinical facilities
• 1948 - Arthur Bulley’s daughter gifts the gardens at Ness to the University to secure its future and continue her father’s love of horticulture
• 1994 - The University of Liverpool joins 16 other research universities across the UK to become a founding member of the Russell Group
• 2006 - Opening of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) in partnership with Xi’an Jiaotong University
• 2008 - Working with scientists from around the world, physicists from Liverpool work on the construction of detectors for the Large Hadron Collider at CERN
• 2008 - As a celebration of Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture, the Victoria Gallery and Museum is carefully renovated and transformed into a public venue for all to enjoy. It is opened by HRH The Princess Royal
• 2012 - New Central Teaching Hub laboratories for physics, earth sciences, chemistry and archaeology open
• 2018 - Materials Innovation Factory is opened in partnership with Unilever 
• 2021 - The Pandemic Institute is launched
• 2022 - Digital Innovation Facility and Yoko Ono Lennon Centre open. 

Notable graduates and achievements

We have been making discoveries since 1881. The University of Liverpool has a history of innovation that spans life-changing discoveries through research and a commitment to opening up higher education to all. 

We have a thriving alumni community which includes:

• Dame Stella Rimington, the first female Director General of MI5
• Dame Rose Heilbron, the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey
• Tung Chee-hwa, the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong and
• James Stirling, the founder of the Stirling prize for Architecture.

Other notable achievements by staff at Liverpool include Sir Charles Sherrington's (Professor of Physiology) discovery of the synapse and William Blair-Bell's (Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology) work on chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer. From 1943 to 1966 Allan Downie (Professor of Bacteriology) was involved in the eradication of smallpox. 

Find out more about our inspirational alumni.

Nobel Laureates

Liverpool professors and graduates have become pioneers in every field, with several Nobel prize winners being associated with the University.

1. Sir Ronald Ross was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1902 for discovering the mode of spread of malaria while working at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
2. Professor Charles Glover Barkla studied mathematics and physics at the University of Liverpool and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1917 for his discovery of the electromagnetic properties of x-rays
3. Professor Sir Charles Sherrington was a professor at the University of Liverpool who went on to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1932 for his discoveries regarding the functions of neurons 
4. Sir James Chadwick, a Professor of Physics at the University of Liverpool, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1935 for the discovery of the neutron
5. Professor Sir Robert Robinson won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1947 for his investigation into alkaloids and other plant products
6. After studying organic chemistry at Liverpool Professor Har Gobind Khorana went on to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1968 for his interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis
7. Professor Robert Porter received his Bachelor's Degree in biochemistry from the University of Liverpool and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1972 for his discoveries regarding the chemical structure of antibodies
8. Ronald H. Coase was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics 1991 for his research into the significance of transaction costs and property rights for the institutional structure and functioning of the economy
9. Professor Sir Joseph Rotblat studied at the University of Liverpool under another Nobel-Prize winner, James Chadwick. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995 for his lifetime of work to diminish the role of nuclear arms in international politics.

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