Which university is the ugliest in the UK? Vote now to make it official

The Russell Group unis need their egos to be deflated a bit

2 hours ago

All students joke that their university must be the ugliest in the UK, but surely not all of them can be right. Remind yourself of the horrors of UK university architecture, then vote at the bottom of the article so that we can officially crown one campus as the ugliest university in the UK. Warning: some of these university libraries make me feel sick.

University of Birmingham

If only the trees were tall enough to hide more of it

The only nice building is the that clocktower which Brum students have a culty obsession with. The rest of the uni was built in the 1960s and it shows. Muirhead Tower takes the prize for the ugliest building on the campus.

University of Bristol

I’ve seen prettier pictures of Siberian prisons
(Credit: Rept0n1x under Creative Commons Licenc e)

The city of Bristol is very pretty. The University of Bristol is not. Was the library some kind of practical joke? The library looks like it lacks light, colour, and any emotion close to joy.

University of Cambridge

Maybe the architect of Churchill College had a concrete fetish? (Credit: David Gruar via Creative Commons Licence)

Maybe I’ll get hate for nominating the Uni of Cambridge. But those iconic views of King’s College chapel and the older college courtyards only make up a fraction of the whole uni. Nestled among the windy streets of Cambridge are some very, shall we say, unique buildings. The main library looks like (and functions as) a prison. The Sidgwick Site, where all the humanities students have lectures, looks gloomy and uninspiring even in the peak of summer. Murray Edwards College resembles like the hollowed-out corpse of R2-D2. No words are harsh enough to describe what Churchill College looks like.

Cardiff University

There’s no sugar coating this

No, that picture isn’t of a multi storey car park. It’s of The Arts and Social Sciences Library at Cardiff University. I moment of silence please foe the poor Cardiff humanities students who have to spend time in there.

Durham University

Surely nobody applies there directly

Yes, a few of the Durham colleges look like mini castles. But brutalist architecture came to UK unis in the 1950s, and Durham has never fully recovered. The Students’ Union and Trevelyan College look like they were built by amateur Minecraft players.

University of Exeter

Well, it’s clearly not the Art and Design Tower, is it?

Exeter only really has one pretty building. Every Exetaaah girlie’s Insta has an obligatory pic of them in a ballgown in front of Reed Hall with their arm around a rugby boy they’ll never speak to again. The rest of the campus ranges from mediocre to monstrous.

The Physics Tower is extra horrendous. The Uni of Exeter should rent it out as a filming location for teen dystopia films. President Snow could move right in. The longer I look at it, the more I worry that the top half will teeter off.

University of Leeds

Note that there are no ducks in the pond. They didn’t like the look of Leeds either

I doubt Roger Stevens would be very impressed with his building. Believe it or not, it’s a Grade II listed building. I’m yet to be convinced that any architecture from this era is worth preserving. It can’t have been designed with much consideration to people’s eyes or to students. Imagine that you’re late to a lecture and you’ve got to sprint across that weird bridge.

University of Manchester

This building makes me believe that ugliness should be taken into consideration in The Times’s annual uni rankings

The buildings on campus aren’t too bad. The accommodation halls are a different story. Mercifully, Owens Park tower is currently being demolished for the benefit of everyone’s eyesight. There are a fair few other buildings that deserve the same fate. Oak House couldn’t be uglier if it tried.

Newcastle University

Merz Court must have been designed by somebody who hates happiness

I didn’t know it was possible for something to be both hideous and boring at the same time, until I saw this picture. Newcastle University isn’t that old for a Russell Group uni, and so it has a higher percentage of architectural eyesores.

University of Sheffield

It kind of looks like a mouldy waffle (Credit: Chemical Engineer via Creative Commons Licence)

The Diamond brings down the Uni of Sheffield’s prettiness by a long way. This building cost £81 million and was nominated for an architecture award called the Carbuncle Cup in 2016. I do not understand why. It looks like a fidget toy for eight year olds. This architectural monstrosity is right next to a pretty Edwardian building and a Georgian stone church, which makes the Diamond looks even more horrendous in comparison. This building has science labs and lecture theatres spread out over six floors. At least the students on the inside don’t have to look at it.

Sheffield Hallam University

sheffield hallam students union ugliest uk unis

Who designed this and what went wrong in their childhood?

The Students Union is the stuff of nightmares. It reminds me of a weapon in a Star Wars movie, and not in a good way. What’s even the point of that weird bit sticking out at the top? Is that where they lock up students who hand in their essays late?

University of York

Just why?

This spot by the river could have been the perfect place for a stunning uni campus. Instead, York got this. Is it a lost spaceship? A magically enlarged tagine pot? A practical joke? I don’t plan on going near enough to Central Hall to find out.

Vote here for the ugliest university in the UK! (And don’t come crying to The Tab if it’s yours).