Who exactly are Leicester uni buildings named after?

You might just go there for your lectures, but there’s a lot of history behind those buildings.

The Adrian Building

Home to the Biological Sciences and named after Lord Edgar Douglas Adrian. In case you didn’t know, was regarded as one of the greatest experimental scientists of his time when he undertook pioneering research into the physiology of the nervous system.

This Cambridge (Trinity College) educated scientist was not only the Chancellor of the University of Leicester from 1957–1971, but also Chancellor of University of Cambridge from 1967–1975. That’s right, Chancellor for TWO universities.This guy also went on to receive numerous honours, including the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1932.

Tenuous link of the day: Edgar Adrian’s son-in-law was the great-grandson of Charles Darwin.

Seriously if this doesn’t impress you, I don’t know what will.

The Attenborough Building

Home to the College of Social Sciences, Art, Humanities and Law. The 18 storey tower (home to our beloved paternoster, one of the last working in Britain) is the tallest building on the campus and named after Frederic Attenborough.

Frederic was the principal of this fine institution from 1932-1951 and managed to get the institution to receive its first treasury funding. Not only did this help pave the way for University status, but also helped Leicester University expand. Basically, this place wouldn’t be as awesome if it weren’t for his ambition. You should be grateful for his soul.

Fun fact: He’s David and Richard Attenborough’s dad.

The Bennett Building

Home to the Geology and the Geography departments, this place named after Dr Frederick William Bennett.

At Owen’s College, Manchester, Bennett trained as a doctor and was awarded the Bradley Memorial Scholarship in Clinical Surgery. He was later appointed as an Honorary Assistant Physician at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, where he specialised in diseases of the ear, nose and throat.

Thank this guy when you get good treatment for tonsillitis in freshers.

20 years after receiving his M.D., Bennett gained a BSc in Geology – can this guy do everything?

The Charles Wilson Building

Also known as Optimus Prime. This building was named after Sir Charles Haynes Wilson, a political scientist who led the institution to university status in 1957. Wilson also served as the first Vice Chancellor (1957- 1961) of the University.

Due to extra funding coming in during the construction, four extra storeys were added before completion, which resulted in the building’s weird shape. Now you know.

The Fielding Johnson Building

Fielding Johnson was originally constructed in 1837 as the Leicestershire and Rutland Lunatic Asylum, but this closed in 1907 after a report said “lunacy in Leicester is considerably below the average.” You sure?

The building reopened at the outbreak of WWI and served as a military hospital until 1919, when Thomas Fielding Johnson bought the building and later presented it to Leicester Council for the establishment of a University College.

Johnson (1828-1921) was a prominent Victorian businessman and philanthropist from Leicester. Thanks for everything xox.

The George Porter Building

George Porter was a British chemist and Nobel Prize winner (1967). Porter was Vice Chancellor between between 1984 and 1995 but also served as a Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War. Hero.

Henry Wellcome Building

Henry Wellcome (1853-1936) was an American high school drop-out who became a successful travelling salesman for a pharmaceutical company based in New York.

Of all the people who have buildings named after them at Leicecster, the aptly named Wellcome is the only one with no personal connection with Leicester.

Wellcome then established his own pharmaceutical company in London with a co-partner. He invented the world’s first tabloid.

He established a number of medical research laboratories and died leaving a bulk of his wealth to scientific research and education. Today, the Wellcome Trust is the second largest medical charity in the world and helped fund the £22.5 million cost of this building. What a guy.

Ken Edwards

Home to the School of Management, the Ken Edwards Building is named after a former genetics lecturer, Dr Kenneth Edwards, a former Vice Chancellor of the University from 1987 to 1999. Edwards was also President of the Association of European Universities.

Maurice Shock

Leicester Uni’s Medical School is named after Sir Maurice Shock, who served as a Vice Chancellor at Leicester from 1977 to 1987 and possibly has the best surname ever.

Maurice Shock is the largest building on campus with 19,000 square metres of floor space. Wasted potential for the host of Shabang.

Percy Gee

One of the oldest and most important buildings on campus, the Student’s Union. It’s appropriately named to honour one of the original founders of the University, Percy Gee.

The SU building was completed in 1958, one year after the University was founded, and opened by HM The Queen.

Gee was a director of a local shoe firm and served the university as a benefactor when it started off as an institution (without University status). Gee was later Chair of the University Council and the first Pro-Vice-Chancellor.

Big ups to this guy or helping get the University to where it is today.

Rattray Lecture Theatre

Just a lecture theatre (that’s like a sauna) with a random name.

Nahh, we joke.

Robert Fleming Rattray was  the very first principal of the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland College (later University College Leicester). His impressive academic achievements include a first class honours in English from Glasgow University before moving to study at Oxford. He even spent a couple of years at Harvard as well to complete his PhD.