Glass Plate universities - Definition and Overview

The University of York's Central Hall shows the architectural design.

The term Glass Plate Universities has come into use by some to refer to one of the several universities founded in the 1960s following the Robbins Report on higher education. The term reflects common architectural design, which also often contains much concrete. This is in contrast to the (largely Victorian) Red Brick universities and the much older Ancient universities.

The institutions have often been called New Universities, however this term has also been used for the more recent Post-1992 universities which were formerly polytechnics.

The list contains some of the most prestigious universities in the world, namely the University of Warwick, Lancaster University and the University of York.

List of the ten Glass Plate Universities

• University of East Anglia
• University of Essex
• University of Kent
• University of Keele
• Lancaster University
• University of Stirling
• University of Sussex
• University of Warwick
• New University of Ulster
• University of York

Many of these institutions have interesting architecture; concrete is a dominant theme, often to the dismay of several modern observers.

See Also: Campus university