Red brick university facts for kids
A red brick university is a type of university in England. These schools were first built in the 1800s in big industrial cities. They are called "red brick" because many of their early buildings were made of red bricks.
Originally, there were nine of these universities. They were known as "civic universities." This means they were built to serve the local community. Over time, the term "red brick" started to include other British universities. These are schools founded in the late 1800s and early 1900s in major cities.
Many of the first red brick universities became official universities before World War I. They often started as colleges for science or engineering. Today, most of these original universities are part of the Russell Group. This is a group of leading research universities in the UK.
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Why Are They Called Red Brick?
The name "red brick" was first used by a professor named Edgar Allison Peers. He taught Spanish at the University of Liverpool. In 1943, he wrote a book called Redbrick University. He used the name to describe these new types of universities.
Professor Peers was inspired by the Victoria Building at the University of Liverpool. This building was finished in 1892. It is made from special red bricks with decorative parts. Because of this, the University of Liverpool often says it's the original "red brick" school.
The term "red brick" was a contrast to older, more traditional universities. Those older schools were often built with stone. Bricks were seen as a cheaper and newer building material. This reflected how these new universities were viewed compared to the very old ones.
The University of Birmingham was the first of these civic universities to become independent in 1900. It also used a lot of red brick in its buildings. Its Chancellor's Court is famous for being built with red bricks.
What Made Them Special?
These red brick universities were different from older schools like Oxford and Cambridge. They were not "collegiate." This means they didn't have separate colleges where students lived and studied.
They also welcomed students regardless of their religion or background. This was a big change from older universities. Red brick universities focused on teaching "real-world" skills. They often taught subjects like engineering and medicine. This was very important for the growing industrial cities.
The first wave of these large civic universities became official universities before World War I. They grew out of smaller research and education places. These were often called "university colleges." Students at these colleges would often take exams from the University of London to get their degrees.
For example, the University of Manchester started from the Manchester Mechanics' Institute in 1824. The University of Birmingham has roots in the Birmingham Medical School from 1825. The University of Leeds began with the Leeds School of Medicine in 1831.
Many of these universities were in industrial areas. These areas needed strong scientific and technical workers. The universities helped train people for these important jobs.
Key Red Brick Universities
Here are some of the main red brick universities and when they became independent:
| Name | University Status Awarded | How it Started | Image | Interesting Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria University | 1880 (ended 1903) |
Owens College, Manchester (1851) Royal School of Medicine and Surgery, Manchester (1824) Leeds School of Medicine (1831) Yorkshire College of Science (1874) University College Liverpool (1881) |
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This was a group of colleges in Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool. They later became independent universities. |
| University of Birmingham | 1900 | Birmingham Medical School (1825) Mason Science College (1875) |
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This was the first independent civic university to get its own Royal Charter. |
| University of Liverpool | 1903 | University College, Liverpool (1881) |  |
It was part of the Victoria University before becoming independent in 1903. |
| University of Manchester | 1903 (as Victoria University of Manchester) 2004 (as University of Manchester) |
Victoria University of Manchester (1903) UMIST (1956) |
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The current University of Manchester was formed in 2004 by merging two older institutions. |
| University of Leeds | 1904 | Leeds School of Medicine (1831) Yorkshire College of Science (1874) |
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It was also part of the Victoria University before becoming independent. |
| University of Sheffield | 1905 | Sheffield Medical School (1828) Firth College (1879) |
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| University of Bristol | 1909 | University College Bristol (1876) |  |
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| University of Reading | 1926 | University College Reading (1892) |  |
This university was first started by the University of Oxford. |
| University of Nottingham | 1948 | University College Nottingham (1881) |  |
Students here used to get degrees from the University of London until 1948. |
| Newcastle University | 1963 | Newcastle upon Tyne College of Medicine (1834); Durham College of Science (1871) |
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This university was once connected to Durham University. |
Other Universities with Similar History
Many other universities share similar features with the original red brick schools. These include universities that became independent after World War II. They also grew from local "university colleges."
Some examples are the University of Southampton, University of Hull, University of Exeter, and University of Leicester. The University of Reading also calls itself a "red brick" university. It was founded in the late 1800s.
Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland also gained university status in 1908. This was around the same time as the English red brick universities. It is sometimes called a red brick university too.
In 2016, the Department for Education in the UK grouped universities into four types:
- Ancient (before 1800)
- Red brick (1800–1960)
- Plate glass (1960-1992)
- Post-1992 (after 1992)
See also
- Ancient universities
- Ancient universities of Scotland
- List of universities in the UK
- Post-1992 university
- Plate glass university
