2015 in review

This year marked the peak of our 150th anniversary celebrations, which started in September 2014 and will continue until June 2016. 

In January an alumni reunion in Hong Kong kicked off an ‘international wave’ of events marking our anniversary around the world. It was followed by reunions in the USA, Belgium, Turkey, France, Norway, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Spain. For highlights view the photo gallery.

In February we launched our interactive timeline, telling the story of Brookes through photographs, archive documents and interviews. Recent additions include beautiful photographs of the Oxford College of Technology in the early 1960s; a collection of gig tickets from the Poly years; and an interview with former Oxford Mail journalist Don Chapman about John Henry Brookes. 

On 20 March our new Chancellor, Katherine Grainger, was inaugurated and the John Henry Brookes Building officially opened, and in April Bryan Brown’s new biography of John Henry Brookes was published. 

22 May marked the 150th anniversary of the first lecture at the Oxford School of Art. We celebrated at the Taylor Institution with a performance of a special play by Flintlock Theatre about the history of Brookes since 1865. 

In June our new Vice-Chancellor, Alistair Fitt, was inaugurated and presented the first Brookes People Awards recognising the achievements of Brookes staff. We were delighted to be a main sponsor of the Cowley Road Carnival on 5 July, taking pride of place in the procession and welcoming visitors to the Brookes zone. 

In September we welcomed Brookes alumni back on campus with a commemorative event for pre-1970 alumni and a reminiscence ball for all former students. We also took part in Open Doors 2015, and in October staff and students donned gardening gloves to celebrate 150 years by planting 150 bulbs on our Headington Hill site. 

On Friday 13 November we opened the doors of the John Henry Brookes Building for Brookes Live, a special evening showcasing research, teaching and the talents of staff and students. For a taste of the evening, check the Brookes Live and ‘Strike a Pose’ photo galleries. 

Finally, this month saw the announcement of the winners of the International Poetry Competition, run by the Poetry Centre and part-funded by an anniversary grant. They are Siobhan Campbell in the open category and Marie-Aline Roemer in the English as a Second Language category. For more information and to read the poems, visit the Poetry Centre’s website.

Our anniversary period continues until June 2016, with alumni events, more from the anniversary lecture series, the 2016 Brookes People Awards, and more activities from the anniversary grant-funded projects. The 150 collection of limited edition mugs, stationery and accessories is also still available to buy online or from our Headington Campus shop.

Thank you to everyone who helped us mark our 150 years in 2015. 

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