Milestones in our history

The University of Brighton is steeped in history and since its humble beginnings 150 years ago, in the kitchens of the Royal Pavilion, a great many institutions have come together to make it one of today’s leading modern universities.

We can trace our origins back to the mid-19th century in Brighton and the mid-20th century in Eastbourne. Since being granted university status in 1992 the university has grown steadily. More than 7,000 students graduate each year in a range of subjects as diverse as automotive engine design, law with accountancy, midwifery, three-dimensional design, architecture and pharmacy.

To explore how we got here, we have picked out key moments that have shaped and defined the institution. The following is a pictorial overview of the milestones and major landmarks in the history of the University of Brighton.

1859

The new School of Art opened with 110 pupils on Monday, 17 January 1859 in “an excellent room provided by the liberality of the town council”. The excellent room was, in fact, one of the kitchens of Brighton’s regency gem, the Royal Pavilion.

1876

The School of Art moves to its own building in Grand Parade. Mr William Gladstone, Prime Minister, witnesses the laying of the new building's foundation stone.

The opening of the new School of Science and Art, on 2 February 1877, was a town event of some magnificence, with a royal couple, the Marchioness and Marquis of Lorne, as the principal guests.

1897

A decision to establish a new Municipal School of Science and Technology was taken around 1893 and a fairly central site was secured at Richmond Terrace. The foundation stone was laid by the Mayor of Brighton on 2 October 1895 and teaching in the new premises commenced in September 1897.

There were 600 students who were mostly part-time and from building trades, but 70 three-year science and art department pupils had been transferred from the Higher Grade School, York Place.

Brochure for new Municipal School of Science and Technology, 1897

1898

The Chelsea School opened in London in 1898, founded by Dorette Wilke, as an institution training women and girls in physical education. It was evacuated to Borth in Wales in 1939 and then moved to Eastbourne in 1949. The school became part of what was to become the University of Brighton in 1979, when the East Sussex College of Higher Education, including Chelsea School, merged with Brighton Polytechnic.

1909

In 1909, Richmond Terrace had become the home of the newly established Brighton Municipal Training College, formed to provide a two-year full-time certificate course for trainee teachers. The new training college had a principal and four colleagues. There were 57 students (about one-third being men) and they met their fees and residential costs from loans provided by their local authorities. The loans were then repaid by the newly certified teachers working initially for those authorities. By 1950, the college had 230 students.

1949

The Chelsea School celebrates its fiftieth year by moving to the current campus in Eastbourne, after being evacuated in 1939 to Borth in Wales.

1960s

In 1962, Preston Technical Institute assumed the title Brighton Technical College, being responsible for all the non-advanced day and evening courses, while Brighton Technical College became the Brighton College of Technology, intended for more advanced studies than those offered by the technical college.

Brighton College of Technology opened on the site of school playing fields in Lewes Road in 1963. The ten-storey Cockcroft Building was followed in 1976 by the seven-storey Watts building, named after the college’s first principal. Mithras House, erected at Lewes Road in 1966, has been used since 1977.

Aerial view of Moulsecoomb buildings under construction, 1960s

Photo © Ken Powell - www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk

Aerial view of Falmer campus, 1965

Photo © Ken Powell - www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk

1965

The 32-acre Falmer campus was opened in 1965 for the Brighton College of Education. Its original home at Richmond Terrace was in a building on the northern side of the Municipal Technical College and by 1918, 9–10 Hanover Crescent was also in use.

The college, however, moved to Eastern Terrace to release space for the technical college and remained there until September 1965 when it moved to Falmer. It had been renamed the College of Education the previous year. From 1919 until 1961, only women were instructed at the Municipal Training College.

1970

The School of Art and Brighton College of Technology merge to form Brighton Polytechnic.

Margaret Thatcher signs the certificate to confirm the former colleges’ new polytechnic status.

A certificate recording the formation of Brighton Polytechnic, 1970

1976

The Teacher Training College merges with Brighton Polytechnic, giving the university a further campus at Falmer.

1979

The East Sussex College of Higher Education, including the Chelsea School, merges with Brighton Polytechnic spreading the polytechnic into Eastbourne.

1992

Along with many other polytechnics Brighton is granted university status and becomes the University of Brighton.

1994

The Sussex and Kent Institute of Nursing and Midwifery becomes part of the university, increasing the provision of courses taught in Eastbourne at the Leaf Hospital.

2003

The Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) opens as a partnership between the University of Brighton, the University of Sussex and the Universities Hospitals Trust. A donation of £1 million is received into BSMS from pharmaceutical company Pfizer.

2004

The University Centre Hastings, managed by the University of Brighton, opened as a joint venture between the university, the Hastings and Bexhill Taskforce, Canterbury Christ Church University College, the University of Greenwich, Hastings College of Art and Technology, The Open University and the University of Sussex.

In September 2009 the University Centre Hastings was incorporated into the University of Brighton. East Sussex College Hastings (formally Sussex Coast College Hastings) worked alongside the University of Brighton to develop its own University Centre for Hastings, which opened in September 2017.

Two people walking past the outside of the University Centre Hastings, 2003

The outside of the Grand Parade Building at night

2009

Was a landmark year, marking the 150th anniversary of the founding of the School of Art, 100 years since the establishment of the first teacher training college in Brighton, 15 years of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, and the tenth anniversary of the launch of the Brighton Business School.

2022

We celebrated the completion of our Big Build, which transformed our Moulsecoomb campus as part of a bigger master plan that includes the neighbouring Preston Barracks site. Together they have created a new gateway into the city and transformed the local area to the benefit of all who live, work and learn here.

The Big Build included student accommodation for 800 students, a new home for our School of Business and Law at Elm House, an accessible pedestrian bridge across Lewes Road, a multi-storey car park, Students' Union cafe and bar, and gym and fitness facilities – all constructed to the highest environmental standards, delivering significant and lasting benefits for our staff, students and the local community.

2024

We completed a significant redevelopment programme at our Falmer campus, enabling us to consolidate all our sport and health courses on a single campus for the first time. The redevelopment included the conversion of a former private health club into a mixed-use academic and leisure facility, and the repurposing of existing spaces to provide a better experience for students and staff.

The consolidation of sport and health courses at Falmer is a key strand of our estate strategy designed to deliver long-term financial and environmental sustainability. As part of this, our Eastbourne campus closed in the summer of 2024.

Today

The university boasts three campuses in Brighton and enjoys a reputation as a leading university. The number of academic awards made each year totals around 7,000.

The university has grown over the years into an institution that delivers socially purposeful higher education that serves and strengthens society and underpins the economy; contributes critically to the public good; enriches those who participate and equips its graduates with the skills to succeed and contribute effectively to their chosen professions and communities locally, nationally and internationally.

University of Brighton signage in front of Elm House