The week saw the start of a year of celebrations to mark UCL’s Bicentenary and 200 years since we were founded as London’s first ever university.
A piece of the Portico for pudding
To help us celebrate in the sweetest way possible, alumnus Guy Fischman (Biomedical Science 2025), created a special birthday cake for the occasion. Guy’s startup, BakedbyGuy, specialises in bespoke cakes for every occasion. Guy is currently part of the Hatchery Incubator programme at BaseKX, the UCL Innovation & Enterprise entrepreneurship hub in King’s Cross. Here he receives mentoring, specialist advice and free workspace to help his business grow.
A sparkling celebration in our newly-revamped Quad
In readiness for this week’s celebrations, the Quad was officially reopened at a ribbon-cutting ceremony by President & Provost Dr Michael Spence, marking the end of a year-long renovation programme as part of the Bicentennial Physical Legacy Works.
On the big day (Wednesday 11 February), around 2,250 visitors joined us in the Quad for the official opening night of our UCL200 celebrations, enjoying a spectacular son et lumiere show, stunning student performances and a first glimpse of the Two Centuries Here exhibition. The rain didn’t dampen the audience’s spirits as they were led through an illustrated history of UCL’s founding, achievements and impact over the last 200 years - and over 13,000 viewers worldwide followed along with the online recording!
Both the Quad and Wilkins Building spaces are due to fully reopen to the UCL community and the public next week.
Catch up on the on-demand recording here!
Books, brews and merch to peruse!
The night also saw the release of three new books to mark UCL’s 200th anniversary, tracing two centuries of ground-breaking discoveries, architectural history, and generational stories of staff and student life. Find out more about the titles here - all three are available now in-store and online with a special UCL Students’ Union shop price for the bicentennial year!
Visitors had the chance to sample our special new UCaLe , a light, fresh, English-hopped Bermondsey Pale inspired by the London workers who travelled to Kent each summer to pick hops. UCaLe is proudly brewed for us by Anspach & Hobday, founded by UCL Psychology graduate Jack Hobday and his former flatmate Paul Anspach (a King’s College London Philosophy alumnus). Now available in all good UCL bars!
And if beer’s not your thing, never fear - you can grab a Bicentenary Blend coffee to go at Students’ Union UCL outlets, or take home a bag of beans to enjoy at home. Produced in collaboration with local company Volcano Coffee Works, every sale helps to support Students’ Union UCL and the Sombra Agroforestry Project, an ambitious scheme to reforest 15 hectares of land and protect biodiversity in Brazil.
Also officially available to buy is our new range of UCL200 merchandise! From totes to notebooks, mugs and water bottles to snuggly hoodies - find it all’in the Students’ Union UCL Hangar shop, or online here.
Turning purple... with a little help from our friends!
Local institutions ’turned purple’ on the evening to help us celebrate, including Senate House, the British Museum and the BT Tower, which displayed the UCL logo and a birthday message throughout the evening.
UCL200 in the media
A selection of broadcast, print and online coverage marking the launch of UCL’s Bicentenary celebrations:
Social media recap
Highlights from UCL and partner channels as the celebrations got underway:
- UCL turns 200 -
- UCL turns 200 -
- UCL turns 200 -
- Here, it will happen: The launch of our landmark new philanthropic and engagement campaign -
Birthday cake
- The Portico-shaped birthday cake
- Standing (L-R) Dr Kathryn Walsh, Executive Director of UCL Innovation & Enterprise, UCL President & Provost Dr Michael Spence, Professor Dame Hazel Genn Pro-Provost (Bicentennial), cake baker Guy Fischman, UCL Council Chair Victor Chu, Students’ Union President Anam Choudhary, Students’ Union UCL Mascot Jeremy Beartham, Lucy Briggs (UCL 200), along with members of the UCL Baking Society.
- (L-R) Dr Michael Spence, Students’ Union UCL President Anam Choudhary, UCL Council Chair Victor Chu
Photo credit: Xin Goh, Students’ Union UCL
UCL Illuminated
- Images 1-9: The UCL Illuminated show, with student performers greeting guests and the Provost and Professor Dame Hazel Genn addressing visitors.
- Images 10-13: Post-show activity in the Wilkins Building, with visitors taking part in demonstrations and working on the Arts & Humanities Community Cloth.
Photo credit: Doug Peters / Parsons Media
BT Tower and Senate House
Photo credit: Chris Moos
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