Queen Mary University of London is a truly
fascinating place to research.
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| Queen Mary University Administrative Building. Photo by Jon Spencer |
One architectural wonder is the Humanities Building designed by Wilkinson Eyre. These architects teamed up with artist, Jacqueline Poncelet, to produce a blue, book motif decorated facade. This book-themed pattern acts as a symbol for the collecting, sharing and increase of knowledge. And the Humanities department remembers the important matter of sustainability by incorporating ground source heat pumps into their design in order to create renewable energy.
But by far the most beautiful piece of architecture at Queen Mary’s is the Octagon Library, part of the main Queens Building, a magnificent Victorian three-tiered hall with an elegant, cross-vaulted ceiling. Its eight walls are furnished with Neo-Grecian iron galleries. Gleaming, golden busts of literature’s finest writers peer down from their columns from Chaucer, to Shakespeare, to Byron. From the very beginning women held key positions at the library which was rather unexpected in the Victorian era, such women were Constance Black and Minnie James.
There are so many interesting features of Queen Mary University and I am looking forward to exploring more…
Kimberley Chen
