Georgina Brewis and Sam Blaxland explore how London’s first students shaped the city.

Since 1942, the Lunch Hour Lecture series has brought audiences together to explore pioneering ideas and research from across UCL. Join us on campus, in our bicentennial year, as we celebrate the return of this much-loved tradition with an inspiring live lunchtime lecture.

Free and open to all. A packed lunch will be provided for guests.

About the lecture

How did university students change London?

In 1826 London was the largest city in the world, but it had no university.

This talk explores the creation of a radically new institution in 1820s London and examines how students have shaped the capital ever since.

The first London students were very different to the wealthy undergraduates who attended Oxford and Cambridge – and their doings immediately attracted public attention in the pages of satirical magazine Punch and the novels of Charles Dickens and William Thackeray. Yet their stories are often overlooked in the city's history.

Drawing on their new book Student London: A New History of Higher Education in the Capital (UCL Press, 2026), Professor Georgina Brewis and Dr Sam Blaxland will reveal the rich and varied experiences of generations of students and shows how they have played an important role in the life of the capital.

About the speakers

Professor Georgina Brewis is a Professor of Social History at UCL. She is a historian of higher education, voluntary action and humanitarianism in Britain and the wider world in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Dr Sam Blaxland is Associate Professor of Contemporary History at UCL. He researches modern Britain, focusing on education, politics, society, oral history and the history of universities and students.

Based in UCL Institute of Education’s department of Education, Practice and Society, Georgina and Sam’s research underpins much of the historical content of UCL200 and they are the authors of Student London: A New History of Higher Education in the Capital (UCL Press, 2026). This is available to download for free or can be purchased at a discounted rate online.

About the chair

Professor Kathryn Woods is Pro-Vice-Provost Student Academic Engagement at UCL. She is the university’s academic lead for partnership with Students’ Union UCL, student voice and the Student Life Strategy 2022-27. She has previously held education and student experience leadership roles at Goldsmiths' College, University of London, and the University of Warwick. Kathryn is a National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has a PhD in History from the University of Edinburgh. Her research spans 18th century British history, the modern history of higher education, and educational theory and practice.

Accessibility

UCL’s Wilkins Building is a fully accessible venue and there is step-free access to the Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre via the lift in the South Cloister.

Accessible step-free seats are available in the lecture theatre itself and further information is available on Access Able: AccessAble - Your Accessibility Guide.

Should you have any further questions or need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us by emailing events@ucl.ac.uk.

Description supplied by the event organiser.