University of Birmingham Campus

Edgbaston campus

The main campus of the university occupies a place about 3 miles (4.8 km) south-west ofBirmingham city center, in Edgbaston. It is organized around Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower (affectionately known as 'Old Joe'), a large bell commemorating the university's first Chancellor, Joseph Chamberlain. Great Hall of the university is in the domed Aston Webb building, which is named after one of the architects - the other income was Bell. The initial 25 acres (100,000 m2) site was given to the university in 1900 by Lord Calthorpe. Large buildings were a result of the £ 50,000 given by steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to establish a "first class modern scientific college" on the model of Cornell University in the United States. Funding was also provided by Sir Charles Holcroft.

The vaulted original buildings, built in Accrington red brick, semicircle to form Chancellor Court. This is in a 30 ft (9.1 m) drop, so the architects put their two-story buildings with 16 feet (4.9 m) gap between them. The clock tower is in the center of the court.

The bell itself is inspired by the Torre del Mangia, a medieval clock tower that is part of the municipality of Siena, Italy. When built, it was described as "the intellectual beacon of the Midlands' by the Birmingham Post. The clock tower was the tallest building in Birmingham from the date of its construction in 1908 until 1969, is now the third highest in the city.