58-590: The Fry Building of the University of Bristol is a Grade II listed building built in 1909 by Sir George Oatley . In September 2019, staff and postgraduate students moved into the refurbished building ahead of the start of term. The building is named for the Fry family who donated land and funds to the university at its founding in 1909, when Lewis Fry was Chairman of the College Council. The Fry family
116-455: A business school , digital research facilities and a student village, is expected to open in 2021. For the existing campus, there are plans to remodel Tyndall Avenue, pedestrianise the surrounding area and build a new library and resource hub. In common with most UK universities, Bristol is headed formally by the chancellor , currently Sir Paul Nurse and led on a day-to-day basis by the vice-chancellor , currently Professor Evelyn Welch, who
174-578: A royal charter due to the financial support of the Wills and Fry families, who made their fortunes in tobacco plantations and chocolate respectively (while there was no funding from Edward Colston ). A 2018 study commissioned by the university estimated 85% of the philanthropic funds used for the institution's foundation "depended on the labour of enslaved people". The royal charter was gained in May 1909, with 288 undergraduates and 400 other students entering
232-638: A civil action against Bristol University; Rosario-Sánchez alleges that she was the victim of a campaign of bullying and abuse against her by other members of the university, and that the university failed to protect her because it was afraid of upsetting trans-rights activists. The case went to trial in February 2022. The judgment was delivered in April 2022. The judge acknowledged that she had been subject to threats of violence, but dismissed all her claims, saying that there had been no actionable breach of duty by
290-494: A decorative castellated parapet. Public art in the form of a Voronoi pattern acts as a brise soleil on the new glass facade overlooking Wills Memorial Building. This screen encloses what were originally external walls. Outside, the design of the paving layout draws on the work of the Nobel Prize-winning Bristol-born mathematician Paul Dirac (1902–1984). Dirac notation is also present as
348-523: A degree in engineering, before obtaining a second degree in mathematics in 1923 from Cambridge. For his subsequent pioneering work on quantum mechanics, he was awarded the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics . Later in the 1920s, the H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory was opened by Ernest Rutherford . It has since housed several Nobel Prize winners: Cecil Frank Powell (1950); Hans Albrecht Bethe (1967); and Sir Nevill Francis Mott (1977). The laboratory stands on
406-444: A few others, including some lay members of council. Finally, Convocation, the body of all staff, ceremonial officers and graduates of the university, returns 100 members to court and one member to council, but is otherwise principally a forum for discussion and to ensure graduates stay in touch with the university. The university is made up of a number of schools and departments organised into six faculties: The university specifies
464-452: A mix of Cambridge and Oxford academic dress . For the most part, it uses Oxford-style gowns and Cambridge-style hoods, which are required to be 'university red' (see the logo at the top of the page). In 2004, the university unveiled its new logo. The icons in the logo are the sun for the Wills family, the dolphin for Colston, the horse for Fry and the ship-and-castle from the medieval seal of
522-502: A motion that banned trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) from appearing as speakers at Bristol SU events and that called upon the university to adopt the same policy. The motion said the TERF ban was necessary because TERF activity on the university campus "put[s] trans students' safety at risk ... in direct violation of the aims outlined in the Code of Conduct". On 19 March 2019,
580-473: A new organ. In 1946, the university established the first drama department in the country. In the same year, Bristol began offering special entrance exams and grants to aid the resettlement of servicemen returning home. Student numbers continued to increase, and the Faculty of Engineering eventually needed the new premises that were to become Queen's Building in 1955. This substantial building housed all of
638-496: A pattern on the internal glazing throughout the building. University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a red brick Russell Group research university in Bristol , England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers ' school founded in 1595 and University College, Bristol , which had been in existence since 1876. Bristol Medical School , founded in 1833,
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#1732772166975696-697: Is now one of the largest employers in the local area, although it is smaller by student numbers than the nearby University of the West of England . It is a member of the Russell Group of research-led UK universities, the Coimbra Group of leading European universities and the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN). After the founding of the university college in 1876, government support began in 1889. Funding from mergers with
754-492: Is the academic leader and chief executive. There are four pro vice-chancellors and three ceremonial pro-chancellors. The chancellor may hold office for up to ten years and the pro-chancellors for up to three, unless the University Court determines otherwise, but the vice-chancellor and pro-vice-chancellors have no term limits. The vice-chancellor is supported by a deputy vice-chancellor. Responsibility for running
812-813: Is the largest independent employer in Bristol. Current academics include 23 fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences , 13 fellows of the British Academy , 43 fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences, 13 fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering and 48 fellows of the Royal Society . The University of Bristol's alumni and faculty include 13 Nobel laureates. Bristol is a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities,
870-458: Is the only chemistry CETL in the UK. September 2009 saw the opening of the university's Centre for Nanoscience and Quantum Information . This £11 million building is known as the quietest building in the world and has other technologically sophisticated features such as self-cleaning glass. Advanced research into quantum computing, nanotechnology, materials and other disciplines are being undertaken in
928-403: The 17th lowest offer rate across the country. According to the 2017 Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, approximately 40% of Bristol's undergraduates come from independent schools. In the 2016–17 academic year, the university had a domicile breakdown of 78:5:17 of UK:EU:non-EU students respectively with a female to male ratio of 55:45. The University of Bristol ranks number 5 in
986-646: The 1960s, particularly in undergraduate numbers, the Students' Union eventually acquired larger premises in a new building in the Clifton area of the city, in 1965. This building was more spacious than the Victoria Rooms, which were now given over to the Department of Music. The University of Bristol Union provides many practice and performance rooms, some specialist rooms, as well as three bars: Bar 100,
1044-525: The 8th highest average entry qualification for undergraduates of any UK university in 2015, with new students averaging 485 UCAS points , equivalent to just above AAAaa in A-level grades. Competition for places is high with an average 7.7 applications per place according to the 2014 Sunday Times League Tables, making it the joint 11th most competitive university in the UK. The university gave offers of admission to 52.2% of its undergraduate applicants in 2022,
1102-551: The Bristol Medical School in 1893 and the Merchant Venturers' Technical College in 1909, allowed the opening of a new medical school and an engineering school — two subjects that remain among the university's greatest strengths. In 1908, gifts from the Fry and Wills families, particularly £100,000 from Henry Overton Wills III (£6m in today's money), were provided to endow a university for Bristol and
1160-526: The City of Bristol, as also used in the coat of arms. The shape of the whole logo represents the open book of learning. This logo has replaced the university arms shown, but the arms continue to be used where there is a specific historical or ceremonial requirement. The arms comprise: argent on a cross quadrate gules the arms of the City of Bristol between in pale and a sun in splendour (for Wills) and an open book proper, leaved and clasped or, and inscribed with
1218-677: The Civic Trust for their design. Burwalls, a mansion house on the other side of the Avon Gorge , was used as a halls of residence in the past and was a home of Sir George Oatley . The building is now used to house the Centre for Continuing Education. Many of the more modern buildings, including Senate House and the newer parts of the HH Wills Physics Laboratory, were designed by Ralph Brentnall using funds from
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#17327721669751276-600: The European-wide Coimbra Group and the Worldwide Universities Network , of which the university's previous vice-chancellor, Eric Thomas , was chairman from 2005 to 2007. In addition, the university holds an Erasmus Charter , sending more than 500 students per year to partner institutions in Europe. It has an average of 6.4 (Sciences faculty) to 13.1 (Medicine & Dentistry Faculty) applicants for each undergraduate place. The earliest antecedent of
1334-729: The Mandela (also known as AR2) and the Avon Gorge. Whilst spacious, the Union building is thought by many to be ugly and out of character compared to the architecture of the rest of the Clifton area, having been mentioned in a BBC poll to find the worst architectural eyesores in Britain. The university has proposed relocating the Union to a more central location as part of its development 'masterplan'. More recently, plans for redevelopment of
1392-608: The NUS. In 1988, Sir Jeremy Morse , then chairman of Lloyds Bank , became chancellor. As the number of postgraduate students has grown (particularly the numbers pursuing taught master's degrees), there eventually became a need for separate representation on university bodies and the Postgraduate Union (PGU) was established in 2000. Universities are increasingly expected to exploit the intellectual property generated by their research activities and, in 2000, Bristol established
1450-746: The Queen's Building and was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in March 2005. In January 2005, the School of Chemistry was awarded £4.5m by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to create Bristol ChemLabS: a Centre for Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CETL), with an additional £350k announced for the capital part of the project in February 2006. Bristol ChemLabS stands for Bristol Chemical Laboratory Sciences; it
1508-578: The Research and Enterprise Division (RED) to further this cause (particularly for technology-based businesses). In 2001, the university signed a 25-year research funding deal with IP2IPO, an intellectual property commercialisation company. In 2007, research activities were expanded further with the opening of the Advanced Composites Centre for Innovation and Science (ACCIS) and The Bristol Institute for Public Affairs (BIPA). In 2002,
1566-435: The UK for research quality according to the most recent Research Excellence Framework assessment. Chemistry (1st), Physics (5th), Engineering (6th), Mathematical sciences (4th), Computer science and informatics (7th), Earth systems and environmental sciences (2nd), Biological sciences (8th), Geography and environmental studies (1st), Law (3rd), Economics and econometrics (7th), and Modern languages and linguistics (4th) are among
1624-654: The University Grants Committee. He is also responsible for the extension to the Wills Memorial Building library which was completed to such standard that few now realise that is an extension to the original building. In May 2022, the university announced the opening of the Gambling Harms and Research Centre (GHRC). The centre worth £4 million aims to increase awareness and understanding of the dangers of gambling. The project
1682-596: The University of Bristol's buildings date to its pre-charter days when it was University College Bristol . These buildings were designed by Charles Hansom , and suffered being built in stages due to financial pressure. The first large scale building project the University of Bristol undertook on gaining a charter was the Wills Memorial Building . The armorials on the Founder's Window represent all of
1740-724: The University received a complaint regarding a lecture about Islamophobia given by Professor of Political Sociology David Miller , made by the Community Security Trust , a third-party. Soon after, further complaints were made by two students, who had not attended the lecture. A long and very complex complaints, appeals, two barrister investigations, a university Board of Trustees decision, and disciplinary hearing process followed. Ultimately this led to Miller's dismissal in October 2021. Miller pursued an employment tribunal claim. On 5 February 2024, in an 108 page judgement
1798-449: The West of England, provided that a royal charter could be obtained within two years. In December 1909, the king granted such a charter and erected the University of Bristol. Henry Wills became its first chancellor and Conwy Lloyd Morgan the first vice-chancellor. Wills died in 1911 and in tribute his sons George and Harry built the Wills Memorial Building , starting in 1913 and finally finishing in 1925. Today, it houses parts of
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1856-472: The academic provision for earth sciences and law, and graduation ceremonies are held in its Great Hall. The Wills Memorial Building is a Grade II* listed building. In 1920, George Wills bought the Victoria Rooms and endowed them to the university as a students' union . The building now houses the Department of Music and is a Grade II* listed building. At the point of foundation, the university
1914-453: The building depicts a scene from The Advent of Morning designed by Jabez Tyley . Goldney gardens entered the property of the University of Bristol through George Wills who had hoped to build an all-male hall of residence there. This was prevented due to the moral objection of the then warden of Clifton Hill House who objected to the idea of male and female residences being in such close proximity. University records show that Miss Starvey
1972-601: The building. There is also a plan to significantly redevelop the centre of the University Precinct in the coming years. The first step began in September 2011, with the start of construction of a state-of-the-art Life Sciences building. In 2018 while building work was underway in the Fry Building , the building caught fire. In 2018 the University of Bristol Students' Union (Bristol SU) adopted
2030-618: The current building have been proposed. The 1960s were a time of considerable student activism in the United Kingdom, and Bristol was no exception. In 1968, many students marched in support of the Anderson Report , which called for higher student grants. This discontent culminated in an 11-day sit-in at the Senate House (the administrative headquarters of the university). A series of chancellors and vice-chancellors led
2088-496: The highly rated subjects. The Complete University Guide 2024 ranks Bristol 4th for the quality of its research. Bristol also ranks 5th for number of spin outs created and has the best business incubator in the world according to UBI Global. The University of Bristol was the fourth most targeted university by the UK's top 100 employers, according to the Graduate Market in 2023 report produced by High Fliers. It
2146-477: The interests present at the founding of the University of Bristol including the Wills and Fry families. Other notable buildings and sites include Royal Fort House , the University of Bristol Botanic Garden , many large Victorian houses which were converted for teaching in the Faculty of Arts, and the Victoria Rooms which house the Music Department and were designed by Charles Dyer . The tympanum of
2204-757: The same site today, close to the Bristol Grammar School and the city museum. Sir Winston Churchill became the university's third chancellor in 1929, serving the university in that capacity until 1965. He succeeded Richard Haldane who had held the office from 1912 following the death of Henry Wills. During World War II, the Wills Memorial was bombed, destroying the Great Hall and the organ it housed, along with 7,000 books removed from King's College London for safe keeping. It has since been restored, complete with oak panelled walls and
2262-404: The tribunal ruled in favour of Miller, based in part on a landmark ruling that "anti-Zionist beliefs qualified as a philosophical belief and as a protected characteristic pursuant to section 10 Equality Act 2010". In 2021, Raquel Rosario-Sánchez, a Dominican graduate student at Bristol who had attended meetings of feminist groups that opposed allowing trans women into female-only spaces, filed
2320-492: The university in 2003. Sir Paul Nurse succeeded Lady Hale as chancellor on 1 January 2017. Expansion of teaching and research activities continues. In 2004, the Faculty of Engineering completed work on the Bristol Laboratory for Advanced Dynamics Engineering (BLADE). This £18.5m project is intended to further the study of dynamics and is the most advanced such facility in Europe. It was built as an extension to
2378-496: The university in October 1909. Henry Overton Wills III became its first chancellor. The University College was the first such institution in the country to admit women on the same basis as men . However, women were forbidden to take examinations in medicine until 1906. There shall be from henceforth for ever in Our said City of Bristol a University... Since the founding of the university itself in 1909, it has grown considerably and
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2436-573: The university is held at an executive level by the vice-chancellor, but the council is the only body that can recommend changes to the university's statutes and charter, with the exception of academic ordinances. These can only be made with the consent of the senate, the chief academic body in the university which also holds responsibility for teaching and learning, examinations and research and enterprise. The chancellor and pro chancellors are nominated by council and appointed formally by court, whose additional powers are now limited to these appointments and
2494-408: The university revised their emblem, removing the dolphin emblem because of its connection to the slave-trader Edward Colston and adding an image of moving pages and a bookmark. The university does not have a main campus but is spread over a considerable geographic area. Most of its activities, however, are concentrated in the area of the city centre, referred to as the "University Precinct". Some of
2552-553: The university through these decades, with Henry Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort taking over from Churchill as chancellor in 1965 before being succeeded by Dorothy Hodgkin in 1970 who spent the next 18 years in the office. As the age of mass higher education dawned, Bristol continued to build its student numbers. The various undergraduate residences were repeatedly expanded and, more recently, some postgraduate residences have been constructed. These more recent ventures have been funded (and are run) by external companies in agreement with
2610-447: The university was involved in an argument over press intrusion after details of then-prime minister Tony Blair 's son's application to university were published in national newspapers. In the same year, the university opened the new Centre for Sports, Exercise and Health in the heart of the university precinct. At a cost, local residents are also able to use the facilities. Brenda Hale , the first female Law Lord , became chancellor of
2668-477: The university was the engineering department of the Merchant Venturers' Technical College (founded as a school as early as 1595) which became the engineering faculty of Bristol University. The university was also preceded by Bristol Medical School (1833) and University College, Bristol , founded in 1876, where its first lecture was attended by only 99 students. The university was able to apply for
2726-434: The university's engineers until 1996, when the electrical engineering and computer science departments moved over the road into the new Merchant Venturers' Building to make space for these rapidly expanding fields. Today, Queen's Building caters for most of the teaching needs of the faculty and provides academic space for the "heavy" engineering subjects ( civil , mechanical , and aerospace ). With unprecedented growth in
2784-581: The university. One of the few centres for deaf studies in the United Kingdom was established in Bristol in 1981, followed in 1988 by the Norah Fry Centre for research into learning difficulties. Also in 1988, and again in 2004, the Students' Union AGM voted to disaffiliate from the National Union of Students (NUS). On both occasions, however, the subsequent referendum of all students reversed that decision and Bristol remains affiliated to
2842-598: The university. He said that his ruling focused on how the university managed her complaints rather than any judgment about gender rights. In February 2023, following its previous disciplinary action against Rosario-Sánchez and the Women Talk Back group, it emerged that the Bristol Students Union has agreed out-of-court that "affiliated clubs and societies may lawfully offer single-sex services and be constituted as single-sex associations". In 2024
2900-637: The words Nisi quia Dominus, and in fesse to the sinister a dolphin embowed (for Colston), and to the dexter a horse courant (for Fry), both of the third. The inscription on the book is the Latin opening of the 124th Psalm, "If the Lord Himself had not (been on our side...)" . The latin motto granted with the Arms below the shields is Vim promovet insitam, from the fourth Ode of Horace's fourth book meaning '[Learning] promotes one's innate power'. Bristol had
2958-519: Was appointed to design a new university department for Chemistry and Physiology, further extending the Fry Building to the southwest. The building was used for the School of Biological Sciences until 2014. On 6 January 2018, while £33 million building work was underway to convert it into a new mathematics department, the building caught fire. Avon Fire and Rescue Service responded with a turntable ladder and multiple fire engines . A helicopter
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#17327721669753016-577: Was funded by the GambleAware charity, which chose the university for its history in researching gambling issues, and will integrate research from six facilities. In November 2016, the university announced that it plans to build a £300 million Temple Quarter Campus for c. 5,000 students, next to Bristol Temple Meads railway station within Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone . The new campus, which will include
3074-550: Was merged with the University College in 1893, and later became the university's school of medicine. The university is organised into six academic faculties composed of multiple schools and departments running over 200 undergraduate courses, largely in the Tyndalls Park area of the city. It had a total income of £902.2 million in 2022–23, of which £203.3 million was from research grants and contracts. It
3132-602: Was prepared to resign over the issue and that she had the support of the then Chancellor Conwy Lloyd Morgan . Eventually land was purchased in Stoke Bishop , allowing the building of what has been described as a "quasi- Oxbridge " hall, Wills Hall , to which was added the Dame Monica Wills Chapel by George Wills' widow after his death. When Goldney did become student accommodation in 1956, the flats were designed by Michael Grice who received an award from
3190-567: Was prominent in England, especially Bristol , in the Society of Friends , and as J. S. Fry & Sons in the confectionery business in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. They intermarried with many of the other prominent Quaker families and were involved in business and social and philanthropic causes. The original section of the building was constructed in 1880, designed by architect Charles Francis Hansom . In 1909 Sir George Oatley
3248-410: Was ranked joint 7th in the U.K. for graduate employability. Worldwide Universities Network The Worldwide Universities Network ( WUN ) is a non-profit consortium of 23 research-intensive universities founded in 2000. It provides financial and infrastructural support to member universities to support international research collaboration. As of 2024, the member institutions are: The network
3306-416: Was required to provide for the local community. This mission was behind the creation of the Department of Extra-Mural Adult Education in 1924 to provide courses to the local community. This mission continues today; a new admissions policy specifically caters to the "BS" postcode area of Bristol . Among the famous names associated with Bristol in this early period is Paul Dirac , who graduated in 1921 with
3364-419: Was used to illuminate the area. The cause of fire was investigated and labelled accidental by the fire and rescue service. Staff and students of the School of Mathematics moved into the building in September 2019. The majority of the building is Grade II listed and constructed of pennant stone with limestone dressings and slate roof. The exterior is "architecturally ornate", including lead light windows and
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