The Trent Building, University of Nottingham

Once upon a time, many years ago, I studied modern languages in this beautiful building at the University of Nottingham.

University College Nottingham was founded in 1881, but it wasn’t until 1928 that it moved from its cramped facilities in the city centre to a spacious new campus in the southwest of the city. At that time, the Trent Building formed the entirety of the university’s academic and administrative accommodation.

Sir Jesse Boot (founder of Boots the Chemist) and the other benefactors of the new university campus didn’t only wish to see an excellent academic facility on the site, their desire was also for the surrounding land to be enjoyed by the wider public. To that end, the lake and gardens were developed and have always been a popular place to walk on a sunny day, for students and local residents alike.

The combination of lake, gardens, and beautiful architecture makes for a stunning university campus, and I have to say, that played a significant part in my decision to accept the offer of a place to study there.

Fun facts: Over the years, the Trent Building has seen many notable and famous people step inside it, the first of whom were King George V and Queen Mary, who officially opened the new university premises in 1928. Later their granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II also visited, and Albert Einstein, H.G. Wells, and Mahatma Gandhi are among those who have delivered lectures in the Great Hall. The writer D.H. Lawrence, who is strongly associated with the university and also studied there, apparently said that, in his opinion, the Trent Building looked like an “iced cake”.

Thanks to Wikipedia for some of the information above.