
The British Red Brick Universities: A Gift from the Victorian Times
The term Red Brick University dates back to the Victorian times when a few tertiary education institutions in UK gained independent metropolitan university status before World War I flared up. Victoria Building of the University of Liverpool that has been built in Gothic style with red pressed brick is regarded as the first university in Great Britain to have used the “Red Brick” for construction.

The
British Red Brick Universities: A Gift from the Victorian Times
The Origin
The
term Red Brick University dates back to the Victorian times when a few tertiary
education institutions in UK gained independent metropolitan university status
before World War I flared up. Victoria Building of the University of Liverpool
that has been built in Gothic style with red pressed brick is regarded as the
first university in Great Britain to have used the “Red Brick” for
construction. It is thus considered as the first Red Brick University that took
rise after the Industrial Renaissance of England.
The Six Magnificent Red Brick Universities
Six
universities of the United Kingdom are considered to be the original Red Brick
universities. These universities are called so due to the style of brickwork
used for their architectural design. Once used as a derogatory remark, the term
“Red Brick” finely went into commoner use over time and established extravagant
connotations leading to the prestige acquired by the universities deservingly. This
group of six includes;
·
University of Birmingham
·
University of Bristol
·
University of Leeds
·
University of Liverpool
·
University of Manchester
·
University of Sheffield
Are Red Brick Universities rightly famed?
One
might wonder whether all six Red Bricks make it to the anticipated league
tables each year or not. The answer is, yes, they do! However, that does not
form the most preferable criterion for choosing a university for studying
abroad. While bricks in red signify architectural distinction, a lot more goes
into the process of university selection.
For
this very reason, Red Brick universities are popularly chosen by international
students owing not only to their outclass construction but also to their;
·
Academic excellence
·
Exclusive array of
courses
·
High graduate
employability ratios
·
Subject-specific
reputation
·
Cost-effective locations
·
Links to local and global
employers; and
·
Provision of co-curricular
activities and on-campus amenities
These
factors coupled with the obvious elite building style that has successively
raised the probability of student intakes at these universities mountain high!
References
https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/advice/choosing-a-course/what-is-a-red-brick-university-list-of-red-brick-universities
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_brick_university#Civic_university_movement
https://www.ukuni.net/articles/types-uk-universities
https://www.kaplanpathways.com/about/news/red-brick-university/
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