The Campus

This project will explore and track the development of the university campus. Starting with the original set up of the campus in 1965 and the initial plans for its development, we will examine how and why these plans have changed to give us the campus we have today.

Looking at the different styles and designs used around campus for buildings such as the Templeman Library and the Colleges, and the introduction of student amenities and entertainment such as Essentials, the Gulbenkian and the Venue, we hope to explore how the campus has been adapted over the years to cater for both educational needs and student demand.

The campus is the place where students spend most of their time, especially in their first year, and thus the 'feel' and opportunities on campus contribute heavily to the student experience. Consequently, we think it is important to know what students over the past fifty years liked or disliked about the campus, what they would have changed at the time about their accommodation or the facilities, and how the campus contributed to their overall happiness at the University of Kent.

Finally, we will look at the changes being made to the campus presently, talking to current students about their thoughts of the new developments and what they would like to see happen to the campus in the future.

It would be enormously helpful to have visual material to aid this project, any past photographs of the campus, of the library, any of the Colleges or accommodation. We would also be very grateful to anyone who would be willing to talk to us or write in about their personal experiences and views of the campus - staff who thought up the designs, the builders who helped construct it, or students and staff who experienced the campus and saw it develop.

Interested in contributing to this project? Learn how to get involved! Get in contact with us.