ALUMNI, guests and friends of Oxford Brookes University came together to mark the day 150 years ago the institution opened its doors for the first time.
Local theatre production company Flintlock Theatre put on a special play, Educating Oxford, which celebrates the university’s history.
Brookes started as the Oxford School of Art in one room on the ground floor of the Taylor Institution, in St Giles, when it opened on May 22, 1865.
Brookes’ oldest surviving alumni Phyllis Timbs and Doris Simms, both 96, were among those commemorating the occasion.
The pair were classmates at the Oxford School of Technology, Art and Commerce – another incarnation of what would become Oxford Brookes – in 1935.
Chancellor Katherine Grainger and vice-chancellor Alistair Fitt were also on hand to greet the esteemed guests.
Mr Fitt said: “The event marks a significant day in Oxford Brookes’ history.
“I am particularly pleased we are able to celebrate our anniversary in the very building where it all began 150 years ago in the Taylor Institution.”
Members of the public will have the opportunity to see the performance at this year’s Oxford Open Doors in November.
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