The latest archives exhibition on level 3 of the library celebrates the built heritage of the University of Strathclyde campus.

Since the foundation of the University of Strathclyde in 1796, the institution has advanced rapidly into a major technological institution.

This progress is reflected in the University’s buildings and campus that have continually developed to support the growing student body and research activity.

We recently published a new source guide: University of Strathclyde Buildings. This illustrated time-line tracks over 200 years of campus evolution and forms the basis of the exhibition.

Discover the story (so far!) of Strathclyde’s campus on our guide to University of Strathclyde buildings.

Archive reference (header image): OP/1/11 3D model of campus, 1965

This is one of a series of German hand coloured plates from Wagner’s Pharmaceutische-Mediziner Botanik from about 1830, which was used for teaching at Anderson’s University.

The illustrations are all of plants which were of pharmaceutical interest in the early 1800s. It is believed they were used for teaching in the University’s Materia Medica classes in the Faculty of Medicine. A University handbill of 1858 may well be referring to them when it mentions ‘a valuable collection of Plates and Specimens’ in the Materia Medica Museum available for study.

The illustration shown is of symphytum officinale, commonly known as comfrey, which had a wide variety of medicinal uses.

Archives reference: OF 8/1/2 Botanical illustrations from Wager's Pharmaceutische-Mediziner Botanik, c.1830.

Medical education was a very important part of the curriculum in the early years of the University. John Anderson had left instructions in his will for the establishment of a College or Faculty of Medicine and this was instituted in 1800 with the appointment of John Burns as Professor of Surgery and Anatomy. The medical classes soon proved popular and, in 1828, the chair was separated into two separate chairs of Anatomy and Surgery and three new chairs (of Materia Medica, Midwifery and the Practice of Medicine) were also created. After that, the Faculty expanded rapidly and gained a very strong reputation. Students were attracted from all over Scotland as well as England and Ireland as this list of students in 1860-1861 shows.  One of the Faculty’s most famous alumni was David Livingstone, the missionary and explorer, who was a student from 1836 to 1839.

In 1887, following the restructuring of technical education in Glasgow, the Medical Faculty became an independent institution, called Anderson’s College Medical School. Two years later, the School moved to a new building on Dumbarton Road next to the Western Infirmary, designed by the architects, Honeyman and Keppie. In 1913, the School changed its name to the Anderson College of Medicine and, in 1947, it merged with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Glasgow.

Archives reference: OB 9/2/5 List of students attending medical classes, 1860-1861

Prior to the construction of the Royal College building in the early 20th century the institution, that would become Strathclyde, occupied various buildings on or around George Street, Glasgow.

Anderson’s Institution initially rented space for its classes in the New Grammar School Buildings in George Street and the Trades Hall. More space was soon needed and in 1798, friends of the Institution purchased a building on the west side of John Street known as the ‘fleshmarket’. This was formally purchased by the trustees in 1806. This building sufficed for several years but, in 1818, discussions about the possibility of a new building began. Plans were drawn up in 1828 and the foundations laid along George Street. The architects and main contractors were Robert Scott and James Watt. At the same time, the name of the institution was changed to Anderson’s University. Construction of the new building was completed in 1830. 

View a map of the campus in 1857 beside a present day map using the National Library of Scotland map finder.

Anderson's Museum

A museum displaying John Anderson’s ‘curiosities’, which included a large collection of coins, medals, Tassie gems and a valuable collection of fossils, had been in existence right from the foundation of the institution in 1796. The museum shown in the image, however, was only opened in 1831, following the relocation of the institution to its new building in George Street. The museum, topped by an impressive dome, was designed by James Smith of Jordanhill and was situated on the first floor above a lecture theatre. Smith also donated a large collection of coins and medals. Other exhibits were also acquired; Thomas Edington II presented mineral specimens, animals and birds from the Cape, Australasia and the South Seas and South America and, in 1830, 2000 stuffed birds were purchased from Mr Joseph Sabrine of London.

The museum was not only used by the students of Anderson’s University: on Wednesdays, Sundays and certain holidays, admission was extended to the public. The normal cost of entry in the 1840s was 2 ½ d. and 1 d. on public holidays. The admission fees meant that it was mainly the middle classes who frequented the museum at this time. However, during 1852, a special Saturday evening charge of one old penny was introduced. This special price certainly increased numbers; between 5th November and 22nd December 1852, the museum attracted 5,391 visitors, an average of 770 a day.

The museum continued to attract a large number of visitors.  During the New Year holiday, 1869/1870, over 2000 people visited. However, the later decades of the 19th century witnessed its decline. A number of coins were stolen in 1870, indicating a slackness in security. Numbers of visitors also declined; by 1880 the average attendance (excluding holidays) had fallen to three per week.

The restructuring of technical education in Glasgow in 1887 resulted in a concentration on technical subjects in the institution. The museum items were no longer needed for teaching purposes, and items which were not used by the students were transferred elsewhere. The museum closed completely when the new Royal Technical College building opened in 1902.

Archives reference: OP/2/1/5 Photograph of Anderson's University building, George Street (looking east).

Archives reference: OP/2/1/14 Illustration of the interior of Andersonian Museum.