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Delve back into Manchester School of Art's rich 175-year heritage and discover how we evolved into today’s School Where Anything is Possible.

1838

Master: Zephaniah Bell

Foundation of a School of Design in basement rooms at the Royal Manchester Institution on Mosely Street (now the Manchester Art Gallery)

1843

Headmaster: George Wallis

1846

Headmaster: Mr Zitzenick

1847

Headmaster: Mr Johnson
Headmaster: Mr Cooper

1848

School transfers to new rooms on Brown Street

1853

School renamed Manchester School of Art

1854

School returns to Mosley Street as a Sectional Department of the Royal Manchester Institution

1862

Headmaster: Mr Muckley

1877

Land purchased at Cavendish Street for new School building and George Tunstall Redmayne appointed as architect

1881

Completion of the front section of the new School building

1883

Headmaster: R.H.A. Willis

1891

School amalgamates with the Whitworth Institute of Art and Industry

1892

School comes under the control of the Manchester Corporation and renamed Manchester Municipal School of Art

1892

Headmaster: Richard Glazier

1893

Walter Crane appointed as Director of Design

1898

School museum and exhibition galleries completed and opened to the public

1917

Extension of south studio

 

1918

Acting Headmaster: Mr Cadness

1919

Headmaster (later Principal) R.A. Dawson

1939

Principal: John M. Holmes

1949

Extension of accommodation to include Boundary Street Annexe, Whitworth Art Gallery and No.5 Cavendish Steet

1951
School becomes the
Regional College of Art, Manchester

1952

New South Manchester accommodation for the School of Textiles

 

1953

Principal: F.T. Colclough

1954

Principal: John Holden

1963
College renamed Manchester College of Art and Design

1966

New extension (Chatham Tower) opened by Princess Margaret

1968

Acting courses transferred from the Northern School of Music

1970

College amalgamates with the College of Commerce and the John Dalton College of Technology to form Manchester Polytechnic

1977

Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design: Ben C.C. Hirst

1978

Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design: Douglas Wain-Hobson

1983

Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design: Mike Yeoman

1988

Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design: Terry Jewitt

1989

Polytechnics becomes independent of Local Authority control

Roger Wilson

1990

Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design: Roger Wilson

1992
Manchester Polytechnic becomes Manchester Metropolitan University

1993

Fine Art courses return to Grosvenor from the Medlock Fine Art Centre

Maureen Wayman

2003

Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design: Maureen Wayman

2007
Manchester School of Art name re-established

2009

David Crow appointed Dean of Faculty

2013
£34M investment programme completed

Including the transformation of our existing facilities and studios, significantly updating our equipment and the opening of a brand new art school the Benzie Building.

2016

Penny Macbeth appointed Dean of Manchester School of Art

2020

Pofessor Martyn Evans appointed as the new Director of Manchester School of Art