Birkbeck's 200th anniversary

Find out about Birkbeck's history, including the key moments in our establishment and development.

Birkbeck history professor, Joanna Bourke, shares some of her favourite stories from her new book, ‘Birkbeck - 200 Years of Radical Learning for Working People’, published to coincide with the College's bicentenary.

Follow our 200th anniversary blog series, which explores the many aspects of Birkbeck's history and our place in the world.

Our historical image collection contains a wealth of fascinating insight into our important events, and our day-to-day operations, throughout history.

Marcus was a political activist and proponent of Black nationalism. He spent two years at Birkbeck and studied law and philosophy.

Helen, a scientist and astronaut, is renowned for being the first British person in space. She was awarded a PhD in Chemistry at Birkbeck in 1987.

Bisi is a prominent gay rights and HIV/AIDS activist. Bisi received a master's in Global Governance and Public Policy at Birkbeck.

Jan is a feminist theorist and was made a Fellow of the College in 2019. She chairs Birkbeck’s Womanism, Activism, Higher Education Research Network.

Judith Butler is a world-famous theorist and activist for gender, feminism and race equality. They were made a Fellow of Birkbeck in 2021.

Brougham was a British statesman and played a significant role in the establishment and survival of the London Mechanics’ Institute. In 1826, he founded the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge.

Gillian is a Professor of Molecular Neuroscience and a co-discoverer of the causes of Huntington's disease. She completed her MSc in Biomolecular Organisation at Birkbeck in 1984.

Marai is an activist and campaigner and is known for her campaigns against racialised and gendered violence. Marai is a graduate of Birkbeck’s MA in Culture, Diaspora and Ethnicity.

The Birkbeck Land and Building Society and Birkbeck Bank were the creations of Francis Ravenscroft, who studied at Birkbeck in 1848 and a year later, went on to become a Governor.

Leslie is an art historian and has been consulted for 'Art on the BBC'.  He graduated from Birkbeck with a BA in History of Art and went on to complete an MA in Renaissance Studies.

Annette is an executive coach and Founding Member of Impact X Capital Partners, a venture capital firm. She studied creative writing at Birkbeck.

Sidney was a leading British socialist economist. He studied law at Birkbeck and helped to reorganise the University of London into a federation of teaching institutions.

Michelle is Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK and is motivated by creating change in the world through innovative research. She studied MSc Politics and Administration at Birkbeck.

Christina is a mathematician, professor of operational research and an advocate for women in STEM. She completed a Master’s in Applied Statistics with Medical Applications at Birkbeck.

Eva is an e-commerce consultant and co-founded London’s first internet cafe, Cyberia. She studied for a BSc Psychology and Ergonomics of Human-Computer Interaction at Birkbeck.

'Ma’ Francis was one of Birkbeck’s unsung heroes who made a considerable contribution to sustaining university life during the Second World War.

Birkbeck’s five-year corporate strategy, builds on its history, mission, values, and key strengths, repositioning it in the London and UK Higher Education sector so it continues to grow, thrive, and transform lives in its third century.

Birkbeck has a vibrant, intellectually-challenging research culture, and our academics are at the forefront of advances in their various fields.

Birkbeck's Bloomsbury campus provides students with access to state-of-the-art learning and studying facilities. Find out about the latest projects in our ambitious estates strategy.

At a time of unprecedented changes across the globe, Birkbeck’s founding vision is more needed than ever. That’s why we are proud to have launched The World Needs More Birkbeck campaign.