Since UCL’s establishment in 1826, the arts and humanities have been foundational to the university’s ethos.
With the first academic chairs in English, German, Greek, Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Italian, Latin, Philosophy, and Spanish created between 1826 and 1828, we shaped and continue to cultivate the landscape of higher education in the UK.
The university’s UCL200 programme includes a range of activities and events to mark UCL’s 200th anniversary in 2026.
Learn about what our community in UCL Arts & Humanities are doing to celebrate the bicentenary.
UCL200 events in Arts & Humanities
Below are some of the exciting events due to take place in Arts & Humanities during UCL’s bicentenary.
Please note these events are subject to change.
What's on
See all UCL200 events
Programme of Arts & Humanities UCL200 events
A list of our key UCL200 events taking place over the bicentenary.
- (UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies) Global Informality in the Arts - conference and exhibition, Pushkin House (15-16 January).
- (UCL Hebrew and Jewish Studies) Come Fill Your Dance Card - presentation and workshop, UCL Bloomsbury Campus (5 February).
- (UCL Greek and Latin) Iphigenia - Classical Play, Bloomsbury Theatre (11-13 February).
- (UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies) SSEES Film Festival, screening of four different films across a month (25 February - 25 March).
- (UCL Greek and Latin) Housman Lecture, Yellow Room, Wilkins Building, Speaker: Dr Chris Stray, University of London and University of Swansea (4 March).
- (UCL English) Northcliffe Lecture, Cruciform Lecture Theatre, Speaker: Ian McEwan (19 March).
- (UCL Arts and Sciences) Annual Graham Woodgate Lecture on Interdisciplinarity, Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre, Speaker: Dr Caroline Howe, Imperial (5 May).
- (UCL Greek and Latin) Experiencing the last days of Pompeii through silent cinema, with piano and percussion accompaniment, Bloomsbury Theatre (9 May).
- (UCL English) 'Lolly Willowes' at 100: Sylvia Townsend Warner - conference on Sylvia Townsend Warner, IAS Common Ground (29-30 May).
- The Orwell Prize Ceremony, Bloomsbury Theatre (25 June).
- Screening of recut Slade@150 film.
- (UCL School of European Languages, Culture and Society-Centre for Multidisciplinary and Intercultural Inquiry) New Nordic Voices - three-day film festival, UCL East Community Cinema (2 - 4 October).
- 'Animal Farm' reading - in collaboration with the Orwell Foundation, Bloomsbury Theatre.
- (School of European Languages, Culture and Society-Centre for Multidisciplinary and Intercultural Inquiry) Languages and the Media Conference 2026, Senate House (4-6 November)
UCL200 Faculty Champion
The Faculty Champions are academics who lead the development of faculties’ contributions to the bicentennial celebrations. Professor Kieren Reed is our UCL200 Faculty Champion.
UCL200 Faculty Champion (Arts & Humanities)
The Community Cloth Project
The faculty launched the UCL Arts & Humanities Community Cloth in January 2025 in preparation for UCL's bicentennial celebrations.
Read our latest UCL200 updates
John Arthur Platt (1860–1925): A UCL Professor of Greek and English Poet
In the early twentieth century, there were two professors in the Department of Greek and Latin at UCL who were not only scholars of ancient literature but also wrote poetry in English.
22 Jan 2026
UCL 200 Curator in Residence: The Future of Collecting
The UCL Culture Lab, in collaboration with the Urban Room, is inviting applications for a Curator in Residence: The Future of Collecting.
07 Jan 2026
Provost contributes to UCL Arts & Humanities Community Cloth for UCL200
Read about how UCL's President and Provost and the Faculty Academic Leadership team contributed to our community stitch project.
28 Mar 2025
Related content
- UCL200 - find out more about the university’s bicentenary and the UCL200 programme of activities and events.
- UCL200 Staff Community Hub
- Students and UCL200 - find out how Students’ Union UCL will be marking the bicentenary.