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The Main Building of
University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...
, facing onto Gower Street,
Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mu ...
, includes the Octagon, Quad, Cloisters, Main Library, Flaxman Gallery and the Wilkins Building. The North Wing, South Wing, Chadwick Building and Pearson Building are also considered part of the main UCL building.


History

In 1827, a year after the founding of UCL, construction of the main building began on the site of the old Carmarthen Square. The Octagon Building is a term used for the whole of the main building, but more commonly for a central part of it. At the centrepiece of the building is an ornate dome, which is visible throughout the immediate area. The Octagon was designed by the Architect William Wilkins, who also designed the National Gallery. The original plans by Wilkins called for a U-shaped enclosure around the quad. Funds, however, ran out in 1829 with only the portico and dome finished. Wilkins' original plans were not completed until the 20th century: The Main Building was finally finished in 1985, 158 years since the foundations were laid, with a formal opening ceremony by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.


Octagon

The Wilkins Building is a term used for the whole of the Main Building, but more commonly for a central part of it. The Octagon dome houses the central hall of the University Main Library, which contains casts from the
John Flaxman John Flaxman (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was a British sculptor and draughtsman, and a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Early in his career, he worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He spent several ye ...
casts collection, and a mural depicting the construction of UCL in a mythical scene with
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overlooking the plans.


Front Quad

Facing Gower Street, the Front Quadrangle, abbrievated as the "Quad", is an enclosed square of paths, grass and a few disabled car parking bays. There are a large number of benches as well as two decommissioned
astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galax ...
observatories.


Cloisters

The enclosed north and south cloisters connect the Octagon dome to the north and south wings of the quad respectively. They are one of the main thoroughfares of the College, and accommodate a series of exhibitions and events throughout the year (for example shows from students of the
Slade School of Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...
and from the UCL special collections). To the north of the north cloisters is the Housman Room, which is a staff common room. The auto-icon of
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was located in the south of the south cloisters up until February 2020 when he was permanently relocated to the public atrium of the Student Centre.


Wilkins Building

The Wilkins Building refers specifically to the part of the building built during the lifetime of the architect William Wilkins. It does not include the later, U-shaped extensions around the Quad. Although these were designed by Wilkins they were not finished until 1985. Therefore the Wilkins Building refers to the oldest sections of the Main Building: the centre part of the main building which includes the UCL Main Library, the dome, the Flaxman Gallery and the Cloisters. The Wilkins Building (along with the south wing built in 1869–76, the north wing built in 1870–81 and parts of the west side built over 1912–52) is grade I listed; the two observatories in the quad are grade II listed.


Main Library

The Main Library contains UCL's collections relating to
arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both hi ...
and humanities, history, economics, public policy and
law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...
.UCL Library Services – Main Library
/ref> The Flaxman Gallery, a collection of sculptures and paintings by artist
John Flaxman John Flaxman (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was a British sculptor and draughtsman, and a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Early in his career, he worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He spent several ye ...
, is located inside the Main Library in the Octagon Building under UCL's central dome.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ucl Main Building University College London School buildings completed in 1985 Domes Buildings and structures in Bloomsbury Grade I listed buildings in the London Borough of Camden