Art and architecture
Our Stag Hill and Manor Park campuses offer free public access to our green spaces and art. Find out more about how we support biodiversity, manage habitats, and what artwork and buildings you can see as you explore.
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Celebrating our campus biodiversity
The University has a long history of embracing its leafy location in the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ countryside. In medieval times, our Stag Hill campus location was known as the Royal Park of Guildford, created by Henry II shortly after he came to the throne in 1154. It continued as a royal deer-hunting ground until the 17th century.
Since then, biodiversity and sustainability have become increasingly central to our ethos.
Habitats
Trees have always been an important part of our estate. They’ve been planted on campus to commemorate births, deaths, marriages, retirements and special events, including a Friendship Tree which was planted in 1995 to mark the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi.
The estate now hosts over 2,800 trees, with 66 genera and more than 250 species on our Stag Hill campus alone. Look out for the Chinese swamp cypress, an exceptional example of this rare conifer.
We also have aquatic habitats, including ponds, a brook and our iconic lake. These waters support an abundance of wildlife, from bird species such as moorhens, cormorants, Egyptian and Canada geese, herons and ducks, to amphibians including frogs, toads and smooth newts. Beneath the surface, fish such as tench, roach, rudd, carp and perch live alongside a diverse range of aquatic invertebrates, including water fleas, blackworms and copepods.
Managing and monitoring the habitats
We're creating, enhancing, managing and monitoring several habitats around campus, for biodiversity net gain. This means that we are focusing on the natural environment being in a measurably better state than it was before, through tackling biodiversity loss, aiding climate change adaptation, creating healthier spaces for people and animals, and ensuring sustainable, long-term environmental management.
How do we do this?
- We create wildlife corridors by leaving grassy areas to grow. These provide essential ‘highways’ for animals to move safely between areas to find food, mates and shelter. Leaving grass to grow also provides an excellent habitat for insects, for animals such as bats and hedgehogs to feed on.
- Leaving grass to grow under trees, we are creating habitats for insects which in turn benefit the species that feed on them.
- We are focusing on rewilding our estate, letting nature restore itself in certain areas. We reduce human management, only clearing litter and invasive species. More green spaces help store carbon, improve air quality and reduce heat retention in urban areas, as well as improve mental and physical wellbeing for our communities.
- We have over 70 bird boxes around campus, to encourage species to nest and breed. Look out for jackdaws, green woodpeckers, wrens and more.
- We use electrical gardening equipment to minimise disturbance to wildlife. Petrol tools can be much noisier and disruptive.
- Our community garden is managed by staff and student volunteers and includes an apple orchard, vegetable patches, a wildflower meadow and beehives.
Sculptures, statues and art
Artworks across the campus reflect – and some even support – biodiversity. Others are just for fun!
The iconic ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Stag (2008, Allan Sly), made from reclaimed materials, is a nod to the history of the site as well as the University’s logo and sits at the road entrance to our Stag Hill campus. It’s a popular spot for students taking their graduation photos.
Our piazza is home to another ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Stag (Marc and Rebecca Ford, 2 Circles Design, 2019), a woven steel sculpture surrounded by pollinator-friendly and drought-resistant planting.
The Geodesic dome sits on a grassy bank overlooking the lake. This aluminium structure was presented to the University to mark the occasion of a Space Structures Conference in 1982.
A bronze statue of Alan Turing (John W. Mills, 2004) stands in front of the Austin Pearce Building on our Stag Hill campus. Turing, a pioneer of computing, spent part of his early years in Guildford, and our Institute for People-Centred AI is part of the Turing Network.
An abstract bronze sculpture, Knife Birds (Bridget McCrum, 2004), is inspired by African tribal art and can be found outside the Austin Pearce Building.
Based on the myth of Narcissus, William Pye’s stainless-steel artwork was influenced by the painting of the same name by Bernini.
Diane Maclean’s The Spine is a memorial to her father, a surgeon. It has been designed to reflect the light levels and the colours of the nearby trees.
A prowling wolf pack – All The Gang Are Here (Carol Orwin) – can be spotted along Perimeter Road. At low light, the silhouettes of the three bronze figures strike an ominous pose.
By our amphitheatre, Zimbabwean sculptor Christopher Chipfuya’s Thinking of My Future (2010) portrays a figure deep in contemplation.
Decorating the two glass bridges spanning two buildings, Walkways (Peter Jeffery, 1996) lights up at night. This distinctive installation was originally meant to be temporary but is now a permanent feature of the campus.
On the road near the Guildford School of Acting you will find Rainbow Crossing, representing the University’s commitment to its LGBT+ student and staff community.
Buildings on Stag Hill
We are home to many award-winning and eye-catching buildings.
Named after a Pro-Chancellor of the University, the Austin Pearce Building was officially opened in 1997 with HRH The Duke of Kent in attendance. Acrobat, one of the University’s most striking sculptures, can be found suspended in the building’s atrium.
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½â€™s £14m Rik Medlik Building is one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the UK. In 2003, it won a Heritage Award from Guildford Borough Council for Environmental Sustainability and the Guildford Society’s Award for Best New Building in 2004.
Our impressive £10m Duke of Kent Building is dedicated to HRH The Duke of Kent, whose portrait hangs inside. It was awarded the Concrete Society Award in 2000 as one of the top 100 buildings in the world.
The James Clerk Maxwell Building, or the 5G/6G Innovation Centre as it’s more commonly known, was completed in 2015. It’s the UK’s first research centre focused on spearheading world-leading research into 5G and 6G mobile communications.
Our Performing Arts Technology Studio offers outstanding music facilities. The building has two exceptional recording studios and a TV studio.
Guildford School of Acting (GSA) is a conservatoire built on a heritage of over 80 years and holds a strong reputation as one of the leading musical theatre schools in the world.
Our Library and Learning Centre underwent a £16m investment and includes a large collection of archives and special collections, as well as study spaces and student resources.
Buildings on Manor Park
When outside the Leggett Building at Manor Park, you may spot Triple Ripple, an extraordinary piece of steel art. At night you can see it transform and showcase an array of multi-coloured lighting effects.
The Leggett Building is home to the School of Bioscience and Medicine’s Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine.
It is also the hub for the School of Bioscience and Medicine’s Department of Nutritional Sciences.
In 2015, the official opening of our £45m School of Veterinary Medicine was attended by HM the Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.
Our Veterinary Pathology Centre gives our students the opportunity to learn in a practical and hands-on environment.
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Sports Park
One of Europe’s leading sporting venues, ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Sports Park offers students, staff and the local community a full range of high-quality facilities, classes and sports clubs.
An impressive mural, Movement in Steel was unveiled in 2011 to mark the Sports Park’s first anniversary. Featuring 83 pieces of aluminium alloy, the work achieves a subtle 3D effect, reflecting the energy of sport.
The £36m venue features a 50m Olympic-standard swimming pool, a 1,000-seat arena, outdoor sports spaces, a health and fitness suite and much more.
It’s no surprise the site was chosen as a training base for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.