University of Bath


The University of Bath is a public research university in Bath, England. Bath received its royal charter in 1966 as Bath University of Technology, along with a number of other institutions following the Robbins Report. Like the University of Bristol and University of the West of England, Bath can trace its roots to the Merchant Venturers' Technical College, established in Bristol as a school in 1595 by the Society of Merchant Venturers. The university's main campus is located on Claverton Down, a site overlooking the UNESCO World Heritage city of Bath, and was purpose-built, constructed from 1964 in the modernist style of the times.
In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, 40% of Bath's submitted research activity achieved the highest possible classification of 4*, defined as world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour. 92% was graded 4*/3*, defined as world-leading/internationally excellent. The annual income of the institution for 2024–25 was £416.8 million of which £49.1 million was from research grants and contracts, with an expenditure of £428.2 million.
In 2024, Bath ranked seventh nationally for undergraduate education. The university is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Association of MBAs, the European Quality Improvement System, the European University Association, Universities UK and GW4.

History

The University of Bath can trace its roots to the Merchant Venturers' Technical College, an institution founded as a school in 1595 and a technical school established in Bristol in 1856 which became part of the Society of Merchant Venturers in 1885. Meanwhile, in the neighbouring city of Bath, a pharmaceutical school, the Bath School of Pharmacy, was founded in 1907. This became part of the Technical College in 1929.
The college came under the control of the Bristol Education Authority in 1949; it was renamed then the Bristol College of Technology, and in 1960 the Bristol College of Science and Technology, when it became one of ten technical colleges under the umbrella of the Ministry of Education. The college was mainly housed in the former Muller's Orphanage at Ashley Down in Bristol, which still houses part of the City of Bristol College whilst the remainder has been converted into residential housing.

University status

In 1963, the Robbins Committee report paved the way for the college to assume university status as Bath University of Technology.
Although the grounds of Kings Weston House, in Bristol, were briefly considered — which then, and until 1969, accommodated the college's School of Architecture and Building Engineering — the City of Bristol was unable to offer the expanding college an appropriately sized single site. Following discussions between the College Principal and the Director of Education in Bath, an agreement was reached to provide the college with a new home in Claverton Down, Bath, on a greenfield site, purchased through a compulsory purchase order from the Candy family of Norwood Farm, overlooking the city.
Construction of the purpose-built campus began in 1964, with the first building, now known as 4 South, completed in 1965, to the deign of RMJM and Partners architectural practice. The royal charter was granted on 25 October 1966. In November 1966, the first degree ceremony took place at the Assembly Rooms in Bath. Over the subsequent decade, new buildings were added as the campus took shape.
In the mid-19th century, there were plans to build a college on the site.
The university logo features the so-called Gorgon's head which is taken, via the university's coat of arms, from a Roman sculpture found within the city. The university pays a peppercorn a year to the city for rent of a parcel of land.
Until 30 October 2012, it was also a member of the 1994 Group.
A report by the Higher Education Funding Council for England into governance at the university was published on 20 November 2017.

Glynis Breakwell remuneration

In November 2017, frustration with the governance of the university grew, especially concerning the Vice Chancellor, Glynis Breakwell's remuneration. The HEFCE carried out an enquiry and recommended 13 changes to the governance of the university. In November 2017, Breakwell's salary rose by 3.9% to over £468,000 and she was reported as the highest paid Vice Chancellor in the country.
The university and College Union had an "emergency meeting" of all staff to discuss the issue and the students' union organised a vote of no confidence involving all undergraduate and postgraduate students.
By August 2017, four MPs had resigned from the advisory board at the University of Bath in protest against the vice-chancellor's pay package. In November 2017 Breakwell agreed to retire, taking a sabbatical on full pay from September 2018 until retirement in February 2019 when a £31,000 car loan to her would be written off. In January 2018 the University Court voted for her immediate departure and demanding the chair the governing council and remuneration committee should step down, though this decision could not override the existing contractual agreement with Breakwell.
On 5 March 2018, at 13:30, a group of 10 Bath students supporting the UCU strike action occupied the vice chancellor's suite in protest of the university's support for UUK's proposed pension reforms. The occupation was endorsed by Bath MP Wera Hobhouse. The university was criticised for its initial response to the protesters, blocking the entrance to the only freely accessible toilets in the occupied area for the first 21 hours of the occupation. The university's response was criticised by local councillor Joe Rayment, alumnus Marcus Sedgwick, NUS Black Students' officer, and prompted the resignation of an external examiner.
In September 2018, it was announced that Ian H. White would take over from Glynis Breakwell as Vice-Chancellor in April 2019.

Campus and facilities

Main campus

The university's main campus is located on Claverton Down, approximately 1.5 miles from the centre of Bath. The site is compact; it is possible to walk from one end to the other in fifteen minutes. The design involved the separation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, with road traffic on the ground floors and pedestrians on a raised central thoroughfare, known as the Parade. Buildings would line the parade and student residences built on tower blocks rise from the central thoroughfare. Such plans were mostly followed.
At the centre of the campus is the Library, a facility open round the clock offering computing services, information and research assistance as well as books and journals. A number of outlets are housed around the parade, including restaurants, bars and fast-food cafés and two small supermarkets, as well as academic blocks. Building names are based on their location and distance vis-à-vis the library. Odd-numbered buildings are on the same side of the parade as the Library, and even-numbered buildings are on the opposite side.
Buildings along the east–west axis are mostly directly accessible from the parade, which is generally considered to be "level two", but later additions, such as 7 West, 9 West, 3 West North and 8 East, follow the rule less strictly. 7 West is generally accessible only via 5 West or 9 West, and 3 West North, 9 West and 8 East have entrances at ground level at varying distances from the main parade. Buildings on the south of the campus, 1 South to 4 South, are accessible via roads and pedestrian walkways by the university lake and gardens.
Buildings, as in many of the so-called plate glass universities, were constructed in a functional modernist style using concrete, although such designs were later derided for lacking the charm of the Victorian red-brick universities or the ancient and medieval ones. In Bath, there is a particular contrast between the concrete campus and the Georgian style architecture of the World Heritage City of Bath.
The eastern part of the campus is dominated by the Sports Training Village, built in 1992 and enhanced in 2003 with an extension.
The northern perimeter of the university is bounded by student residences Brendon Court, Eastwood, Marlborough Court, Solsbury Court, Norwood House, Osborne House, Polden Court, The Quads, Westwood, and Woodland Court. The original plan for students to be housed in tower blocks above the parade continues with the small number of rooms in Norwood House. However, the second tower block, Wessex House, now hosts offices rather than residences.
The university also owns buildings in the city of Bath, mostly student accommodation dotted around town, including Canal Wharf, Carpenter House, Clevelands Building, John Wood Building and John Wood Court, Pulteney Court and Thornbank Gardens.
There is also an Innovation Centre that provides work space, practical support and expertise to local technology enterprises and entrepreneurial companies that emerge from the university's student and academic research base
Two new buildings were opened in 2017. The Virgil Building, adapted from a former police station, offers a hub and support for students and staff in the centre of Bath, including professional, counselling and careers services, Joblink, a skills centre and learning commons. The university also opened a centre at 83 Pall Mall in central London, with a stated aim of building partnerships and engaging with business, politics and Bath's alumni community in the UK's capital.
Over several years, the grounds have received recognition for their outstanding beauty with awards from Bath in Bloom.

Campus developments

The university continually upgrades its Claverton Down campus with new teaching blocks. A proposal to move the boundary of the green belt away to the edge of the campus to facilitate further development was agreed in October 2007 by the local council following a public inquiry, although the boundary of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty still crosses the site. In July 2005, building 3 West North was completed. The deconstruction of the asbestos-contaminated 4 West was completed in mid-2005 and the 4 West building opened in April 2010, providing additional teaching and office space.
;Completed projects
  • 4 West, complete with Cafe, completed March 2010
  • A new Student Centre, completed October 2010
  • The East Building, a multifunction building, completed May 2011
  • The Chancellors' Building, new teaching facilities, completed October 2013
  • The Quads is a new student accommodation building on campus with 703 en-suite bedrooms, completed summer 2014
  • The Edge opened in early 2015 and has teaching facilities, theatre, gallery, performance and rehearsal studios
  • 1 West refurbishment to add new learning and research facilities and computer laboratories and offices
  • 4 East South, providing research and teaching space for the Faculty of Engineering & Design as well as a cutting edge computing data centre. Opened June 2016
  • 10 West, a multifunction building which expanded the Department of Psychology, a new home for the Institute of Policy Research as well as providing dedicated postgraduate study space. Formally opened on 20 July 2016 by Professor Dame Vicky Bruce.
  • The Virgil Building, located in a former police station on Manvers Street into a learning zone with office space for student-facing services including study space, training rooms and a coffee bar. Office Space is also provided for the Careers Service, Student Services and others for advice and guidance.
  • The Milner Centre for Evolution, a £7 million development dedicated to evolution research. The centre formally opened in September 2018.
  • Polden, to provide 300 postgraduate bed spaces on the Western edge of campus close to existing campus accommodation.
  • 10 East, a new home for the School of Management, which opened on 7 June 2022.