Academic Disciplines - Great Hall, Birminham University, Birmingham, UK
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N 52° 26.921 W 001° 55.848
30U E 572663 N 5811481
The stained glass windows in the Great Hall of the building represent the various academic disciplines taught at the university
Waymark Code: WM51FM
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/26/2008
Views: 26
The spectacular Great Hall was officially opened in 1909 by King Edward VII as the symbolic and ceremonial heart of the university. Along with the campus' other original buildings, the Great Hall was designed at the turn of the 20th century by famed English architect Sir Aston Webb. Among other designs for which Webb gained renown, sites in London include the eastern façade of Buckingham Palace, the Admiralty Arch on the Mall, and a large section of frontage for the Victoria & Albert Museum. One of the Great Hall's foremost features is the immense stained-glass window that overlooks the stage, and its marble foyer, now complete with painted dome ceiling, is also impressive.
The Great Hall is the symbolic heart of the University, a kind of secular cathedral where great events take place both for the University and for its individual members. The opening of the University took place here. In 1909 King Edward VII performed the formal opening ceremony of the new University at Edgbaston, fulfilling the dreams of the citizens of Birmingham and the University's founder Joseph Chamberlain.
Not long after, the Great Hall was transformed into a ward of the Southern General Military Hospital, home to hundreds of wounded servicemen who arrived in the dead of night at Selly Oak station to be brought to the University buildings under the cover of darkness so as not to make too plain the scale of the horrors of France.
In happier times, the hall has been the setting for balls, for operas, for concerts, for lectures of all kinds and, of course, for degree ceremonies. Tens of thousands of alumni of the University have processed onto the stage of the Great Hall to receive their degrees
Type of building where window is located: Other
Address:
The University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom
B15 2TT
Days of Operation: When Great Hall is not in use for other functions.
Hours of Operation: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Admission Charge: Not Listed
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