UCL timeline launched: A deep dive into 200 years of London’s oldest university

A new, graphic timeline charts the major milestones and moments of progress, discovery, and transformation that influenced the university and the wider world.

UCL was established in 1826 with a novel vision: to make higher education accessible to all. As London’s first university, UCL challenged convention by admitting students regardless of faith, introducing practical subjects, and later granting women access to higher education alongside men. 

Over two centuries, UCL has remained at the forefront of research and innovation, achieving numerous firsts and shaping disciplines from medicine and science to the arts and humanities. 

Our new timeline, developed by UCL200, LCCOS and faculty colleagues, presents the major milestones and key people who have shaped the last 200 years, from our progressive foundations and 33 Nobel Laureates, to our campus expansion in east London and the staff, students and graduates who are addressing the most pressing global challenges of the 21st century. 

Explore the new UCL timeline

A whistle-stop tour

A few highlights across 200 years:

11 February 1826: Founding of the ‘London University’

Established by progressive and liberal reformers, the new London University was a non-sectarian institution inspired by the radical ideas of philosopher Jeremy Bentham. 
 
Nicknamed the ‘Cockney College’ by a hostile press, it was established as a joint-stock company selling £100 shares and initially lacked a Royal Charter. 
 
This caricature of UCL founder Henry Brougham pictures him selling shares to raise capital, likening him to a street seller of cheap children’s toys. 

Photo: Isaac Robert Cruikshank, The Political Toy-Man, 1825. UCL Special Collections, FA 23

 

1878: UCL is the first UK institution to formally welcome women to degree study 

UCL was the first UK institution to formally admit women to higher education alongside men and the first to award women degrees. 

Women’s residence, College Hall, opened in 1882, while the appointment of Rosa Morison as Lady Superintendent offered practical and pastoral support.  

Degrees at the time were awarded in the name of the University of London and many women went on to be the first in their field. This includes Eliza Orme, the first woman to earn a law degree in England and Louisa Aldrich-Blake, the first British woman to achieve a Master’s degree in surgery.  

Photo: Women and men students in a Zoological Laboratory, 1887. UCL Special Collections, UCLCA/7
 

1904: Invention of the Fleming Valve

Founder of UCL’s Department of Electrical Engineering, Professor Sir John Ambrose Fleming, revolutionised communication technology by inventing the first electron tube device. 
 
Patented in 1904, this thermionic - or ‘Fleming’ - valve enabled detection of high-frequency radio signals, paving the way for radio, television, telephones and early computers, and making modern communications possible. 
 
Photo: Experimental valve, c. 1889. UCL Science Collections, LDUSC-EE-88

 

 

1949: Appointment of UCL’s first female professor

Crystallographer Kathleen Lonsdale became UCL's first female professor, breaking gender barriers and paving the way for future generations of women scientists. 
 
This followed her 1945 election as one of the first two women to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society – marking the historic recognition of women’s contributions to scientific research. 
 
Photo: Kathleen Lonsdale, © The Royal Institution

1972: Formation of one of the first 'GaySocs' in the UK

UCL’s GaySoc was one of the UK’s first societies of its kind, founded by UCL PhD student Jamie Gardiner, and reflecting students’ commitment to inclusion and equality. 
 
Alongside the UCL Students' Union, Gaysoc members were instrumental in encouraging the National Union of Students to adopt a motion in support of ‘gay rights’ in 1973. 
 
Photo: GaySoc Freshers’ Week programme, 1972. UCL Special Collections, UCLCA/9/3 

 

2010: Bloomsbury on Screen 

UCL’s Bloomsbury campus has long attracted film crews thanks to its rich history, architectural diversity, and central London location. 

Throughout its history, the university has appeared in notable films such as the 2010 blockbuster, Inception,directed and produced by alumni Sir Christopher Nolan (English Literature BA, 1993) and Dame Emma Thomas (Ancient History BA, 1993), shown being filmed here at UCL’s Flaxman Gallery.

Photo: Cast members Elliot Page, Michael Caine and Leonardo DiCaprio, Director of Photography Wally Pfister, and Director Christopher Nolan on the set of Inception at UCL, 2009. PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive

March 2020: UCL during the COVID-19 pandemic

UCL rapidly adapted to meet the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19. Reshaping approaches to teaching, assessments and support, the community stayed connected through mutual aid and digital graduations and contributed more than £5 million to the university’s Coronavirus Response Fund.  
 
Operational staff stayed on to support UCL communities throughout the pandemic and researchers and clinicians applied their expertise to the wider pandemic response - developing the critical life-saving UCL Ventura breathing aid, informing vaccine development, advising government, and redeploying staff to the NHS. 
 
Photo: Students on campus, wearing masks, Students' Union UCL

 

2022: Opening of UCL’s east campus 

The establishment of UCL’s east campus on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park marked the university’s largest campus expansion in nearly 200 years. Situated in Stratford, East London, students, researchers and local communities have opportunities to share labs and studios. 
 
Together, they break boundaries and accelerate developments in areas ranging from sustainable cities and fair finance to robotics, artificial intelligence and global health. 

Photo: Marshgate building, UCL East. Credit: UCL Educational Media

The UCL timeline was developed by UCL200 (Professor Dame Hazel Genn, Lucy Briggs, Kailey Nolan), LCCOS (Colin Penman, Dean Veall, Alice Gray, Tamsin Lee-Woolfe) and Anne Coquin (Digital Experience) with support and expertise from Professor Georgina Brewis, Professor Joe Cain, Dr Sam Blaxland, Lucy Shackleton and Natasha Lokhun. It contains contributions from colleagues across the university, including faculties, UCL Musuems, OVPA, VPEE and Students' Union UCL.

Top image: The Wilkins Building as completed in 1829. Lithograph by Charles Walter Radclyffe, from University College London: The Bloomsbury Campus, a Survey of London monograph

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