The University Has Come At Last...the University of Leeds and its Humble Beginnings

Leeds University Library Galleries and the University Archives are sharing the University’s history and achievements through a series of new exhibitions. A preview is now available for viewing, "The University Has Come At Last."

The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. While the University was founded in 1904, it traces its origins to the founding of the Leeds School of Medicine in 1831 and then the Yorkshire College of Science in 1874. In 1884 the Yorkshire College of Science merged with the Leeds School of Medicine and was renamed Yorkshire College.

Three years later the two Leeds-based institutions joined forces with Owens College Manchester, and University College Liverpool, to become the federal Victoria University. After Manchester and Liverpool decided to establish universities, Leeds followed and in 1904, King Edward VII granted the University its own Charter as an independent institution.