Stepping back in time

150 years ago a small art school opened its doors to students in a single room of the Taylorian Institute in Oxford’s historic city centre. Our anniversary celebrations are an opportunity to join us as we mark Oxford Brookes’ journey from that room, through its years as a technology college and later a polytechnic, partnering with other like-minded institutions and becoming a university.

Starting this autumn, you’ll be able to take a trip through our interactive digital archive and discover a rich history, marked by personal stories, written contributions, fascinating archive material, photographs, videos and interviews. You’ll also be able to visit our campus exhibition in person.

You might discover the story, as told by the local press, of Brookes’ battle to move from scattered rooms around the city centre to its Gipsy Lane site at Headington; or you might encounter an interview with honorary graduate Benjamin Zephaniah, explaining why he preferred the honour to an OBE.

Who were the bands playing the SU in the seventies? What made the front page of the Polytechnic’s student magazine?

Who was John Henry Brookes and what exactly is his legacy?

You’ll be able to explore and discover more about Oxford Brookes, its students, values, staff and faculties, buildings, challenges and changes since 1865. From October, either drop in to our exhibition space in the Abercrombie building on Headington Campus, or visit our interactive digital archive. Follow our twitter feed and web pages to be notified when the timeline and exhibition go live.

How to find out more

Find out more about the anniversary through Twitter @brookes_is_150; at our web pages; or via email at 150years@brookes.ac.uk.

How are we doing?
We want to provide you with information about the anniversary in a way that works for you. Let us know how we're doing with the poll on the right hand menu, and by contacting us via the email address above.