
Architecture of Knowledge
A History of The University of Manchester and Its Buildings
Manchester University Press
Published on 2. June 2026
Book
Hardback
396 pages
978-1-80707-300-8 (ISBN)
Description
Architecture of Knowledge presents, for the first time, a campus history of The University of Manchester.
Beginning in the early nineteenth century, the book tells the story of how a handful of small, city-centre buildings expanded to become two large, distinct campuses. It charts the creation of the huge campus on Oxford Road, a marker of the city's reinvention in the twenty-first century.
The book explores the architecture of over fifty key buildings - from the Victorian grandeur of Whitworth Hall to the cutting-edge design of the National Graphene Institute - that have been home to an amazing breadth of research, as well as supporting the teaching of thousands of students.
Lavishly illustrated with architectural elevations, perspective paintings, technical drawings, old campus masterplans and historical photographs, Architecture of Knowledge is the definitive guide to one of the world's most important universities. -- .
Beginning in the early nineteenth century, the book tells the story of how a handful of small, city-centre buildings expanded to become two large, distinct campuses. It charts the creation of the huge campus on Oxford Road, a marker of the city's reinvention in the twenty-first century.
The book explores the architecture of over fifty key buildings - from the Victorian grandeur of Whitworth Hall to the cutting-edge design of the National Graphene Institute - that have been home to an amazing breadth of research, as well as supporting the teaching of thousands of students.
Lavishly illustrated with architectural elevations, perspective paintings, technical drawings, old campus masterplans and historical photographs, Architecture of Knowledge is the definitive guide to one of the world's most important universities. -- .
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Manchester
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
ISBN-13
978-1-80707-300-8 (9781807073008)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Benjamin Blackwell is a Lecturer in the Manchester Architecture Research Group at the University of Manchester
Martin Dodge is a Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Manchester
James Hopkins is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Manchester and teaches at Manchester Grammar School
Matthew Steele is a Lecturer at the Manchester School of Architecture -- .
Martin Dodge is a Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Manchester
James Hopkins is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Manchester and teaches at Manchester Grammar School
Matthew Steele is a Lecturer at the Manchester School of Architecture -- .
Content
Timeline
Foreword by Diana Hampson
Introduction
1824-1899 Origins and the Owens College Era
1900-1939 Gradually Growing Campus
1940-1959 Postwar Expansion
1960s Science and Technology Boom Times
1970-1999 Enlargement and Consolidation
2000-2013 The Millennium and Merger
2014-2024 Major University Campus Renewal
Epilogue
Index -- .
Foreword by Diana Hampson
Introduction
1824-1899 Origins and the Owens College Era
1900-1939 Gradually Growing Campus
1940-1959 Postwar Expansion
1960s Science and Technology Boom Times
1970-1999 Enlargement and Consolidation
2000-2013 The Millennium and Merger
2014-2024 Major University Campus Renewal
Epilogue
Index -- .