175th anniversary of King’s College London a year of events & celebrations

The Strand today

In 1829 King’s College London was founded with the help of some powerful friends. King George IV graciously granted the fledgling college a royal

charter, in order to help distinguish it from ‘the godless college in Gower Street’ (later University College London). The Duke of Wellington (then Prime Minister) rose early one morning in March to fight the only duel of his life to defend his role in the College’s establishment. Seven years later, when the University of London was established, King’s became one of its two founding colleges.

KIng’s and Its hIstory

KIng’s and Its peopLe175 years of research & teaching

It would be impossible to imagine 21st century life without the advances made by King’s people over the years.

If this sounds far-fetched, consider our reliance on the following:

surgery: without Joseph Lister’s invention of antiseptic surgery, modern aseptic surgical techniques could not have evolved tV, radio, radar, mobile telephones: hard to imagine without James Clerk Maxwell’s discovery of the nature of electro-magnetic waveselectric supply: John Daniell’s constant-cell battery was the first reliable source of electricitydna: the discovery of the structure of DNA, in large part due to the work of Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkinstelecommunications: Charles Wheatstone’s development of wireless telegraphy and Edward Appleton’s discovery of the atmospheric layers which carry radio signals were the key to the development of modern telecomm-unications and the development of radarhealthcare: Florence Nightingale’s vision for nursing and development of the first professional nurse training laid the foundations for the delivery of modern healthcare

In addition, King’s people have made a vital contribution to many other areas of modern life: from the development of higher education for all, human rights and international law to contemporary music and literature.

a leading international universityKing’s today is a leading international university institution in the heart of London, with over 19,000 students and more than 5,000 staff in ten schools of study. In the course of its history the College has grown and developed through many mergers. In 1983 King’s and its School of Medicine were reunited. In 1985 King’s merged with Chelsea College and with Queen Elizabeth College. In 1997 the College was joined with the Institute of Psychiatry, and in 1998 with the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospitals (UMDS).

an education for womenKing’s was among the first higher education institutions to provide education for women and to offer evening classes, and it was a pioneer of modular degrees. The alumni of King’s and its associated institutions include Nobel Peace Laureate former Archbishop Desmond Tutu; writers such as Anita Brookner, Arthur C Clarke, Thomas Hardy, Susan Hill, Susan Howatch, John Keats, Hanif Kureishi and Somerset Maughan; musicians including John Eliot Gardiner, Ian Shaw and Michael Nyman; scientists such as Rosalind Franklin and James Clerk Maxwell; many distinguished industrialists and politicians.

Joseph Lister, the ‘father of antiseptic surgery’, Professor of Surgery at King’s from 1877 to 1893

Florence nightingale established the first professional school of nursing at St Thomas’ Hospital in 1860

Charles Wheatstone, Professor of Experimental Philosophy at King’s from 1834, was a pioneer of wireless telegraphy

edward appleton Wheatstone Professor of Physics at King’s from 1924 to 1936, was one of seven scientists from King’s and its associated institutions who have won the Nobel Prize

John Frederic daniell developed the first reliable source of electricity in 1836

rosalind Franklin took the famous ‘photo 51’ of DNA at King’s in May 1952

James Clerk Maxwell, Professor of Natural Philosophy at King’s from 1860 to 1865

emmeline Jean hansen co-discovered how muscles work in 1954, first woman from King’s to become a fellow of the Royal Society

Maurice Wilkins received the Nobel Prize for his work on the structure of DNA in 1962

The Strand in 1831

John Keats Thomas Hardy

great hall

strand campus

thursday 22 January 2004

Speaker: desmond tutu former Archbishop of Cape Town

and Nobel Prize winner

Theme: Citizenship in post-Conflict society

One of King’s most distinguished alumni, the Most

Reverend Desmond Tutu, former Archbishop of Cape

Town and winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace, opened

the celebrations for the anniversary year with a

Commemoration Oration.

The Commemoration Oration celebrates King’s as

a place of learning, commemorates the vision of its

founders and benefactors and marks the achievements of

the College’s staff and students in the arts and sciences.

Once an annual celebration at King’s, the tradition of the

Commemoration Oration was revived in 2004 to mark the

opening of the College’s 175th anniversary year.

Commemoration Oration: a celebratory event

desMond tutu

a Christian priest first and foremost, Desmond Tutu is regarded as one of the great civil rights campaigners

and statesmen for his leadership in the fight against the South African apartheid system.

An alumnus and Fellow of the College, Tutu says: ‘King’s gave me the opportunity to prove to myself and to the world that ability has nothing to do with such biological insignificances as skin colour. This confidence has stayed with me throughout my life’.

After returning to South Africa, Tutu went on to become Archbishop of Cape Town in 1986. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his work as General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches to end apartheid.

Tutu retired as Archbishop in 1996 but continued to work in one of his most challenging roles yet, as the Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, where he presided over the traumatic revelation of the secrets of apartheid.

‘Tutu’s’ – the Student Union night-club at King’s – is named after him.

CoMMeMoratIon at KIng’s

the first Commemoration Week at King’s was held in December 1920, and the tradition continued until the 1980s as a celebration of the corporate

life of the College. In July 1920 the Secretary of the Union Society (later the Students’ Union) proposed to the Council and Delegacy (the governing bodies of the College) that there should be a week-long programme of events to celebrate the foundation of the College, and the origins of the Week point to a joint undertaking by the College authorities, the students and the Old Students’ Association to demonstrate the reviving vigour of student life in the aftermath of the First World War. The 1920 Week consisted of a service in Chapel, an oration, a dinner, a dance, a reunion organised by the Old Students’ Association, a play and a students’ supper.

Fruit and vegetable ammunitionFrom 1921 a regular challenge was issued to University College to do battle on the sports field, and this became the occasion for a tradition of inter-college rivalry involving the parading of mascots and the exchange of rotten fruit (Covent Garden, then a fruit and vegetable market, provided ammunition too tempting to be resisted by the King’s warriors).

oratorsThe first-ever King’s Commemoration (or

‘Foundation’) Orator, in December 1920,

was the author and poet g K Chesterton,

of Father Brown fame.

Subsequent speakers have considered

matters academic and spiritual, philosophical

and political, national and international. Many

have been highly distinguished, including:

C s Lewis author

Clement attlee former Prime Minister

Viscount Montgomery World War II General

sir harold Wilson former Prime Minister

hrh the duke of edinburghgilbert Murray first President League of

Nations

andré Maurois author

Julian huxley first Director-General UNESCO

The College mascot, Reggie the Lion, being carried onto the playing fields in 1935 for the Commemoration Games with University College London.

Fougasse (King’s alumnus Kenneth Bird) designed the dancing Reggie version for a centenary edition of the King’s College Review

The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu

‘King’s gave me the opportunity to prove to myself and to the world that ability has nothing to do with such biological insignificances as skin colour. this confidence has stayed with me throughout my life’

‘without forgiveness there is no future, but without confession there can be no forgiveness’

Publication of Anniversary book

King’s College London: In the service of society by Dr Christine Kenyon Jones traces the story of King’s and its constituent institutions

through the many distinguished and larger-than-life individuals who have brought the College to prominence in the last 175 years. This heavily-illustrated 150-page book includes a foreword by the Princess Royal and striking pictures showing King’s in the past and as it is now. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of King’s and associated institutions such as the medical and dental schools of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals, Chelsea and Queen Elizabeth Colleges, and the Institute of Psychiatry.

the authorDr Christine Kenyon Jones is Writer in the Department of External Relations at King’s. She was Director of Public Relations for the College from 1991 to 1999. She completed her PhD at King’s in 1999 and has also taught in the Department of English.

exhIbItIon

In the beginning: the early history of King’s College London

this exhibition explained the early history of King’s College London and set it in its historical London context. The exhibition was

on display from 11 February to 10 March in the Weston Room, Maughan Library, Chancery Lane for members of the College and their accompanying guests. The exhibition is also captured online at: www.kcl.ac.uk/archives

This caricature of 1828 shows the rivalry between the University of London (later University College London) and King’s College London

King’s College London: In the service of society

publication date: 10 February 2004

price per copy: £20 plus postage and packaging

order a copy www.kcl.ac.uk/175/booking.php

King’s people who changed the world: talks by authors

Wednesday 4 February

Joseph Lister: ‘the father of antiseptic surgery’thomas dormandy talked about

Joseph Lister, who features in

his book Moments of truth: Four

Creators of Modern Medicine

(Chichester: John Wiley, 2003).

Lister (1827-1912) was Professor

of Clinical Surgery at King’s from

1877 to1893. Dormandy records how he ‘recognised the

cause of “hospital sepsis” and devised a way to combat it,

which opened the way to modern surgery’. He describes

Lister as ‘a great Victorian... high-minded, hard-working

and compassionate but not without human weaknesses’.

Wednesday 11 February

James Clerk Maxwell: the man who changed everythingbasil Mahon talked about one

of history’s greatest physicists,

James Clerk Maxwell, who is

the subject of his biography the

Man Who Changed everything

(Chichester: John Wiley, 2003).

Maxwell completed some of

his greatest work while he was Professor of Natural

Philosophy at King’s from 1860 to1865.

Wednesday 18 February

rosalind Franklin: the dark lady of dnabrenda Maddox talked about her

biography of Rosalind Franklin

whose famous ‘photo 51’ of DNA,

taken at King’s in May 1952,

provided the key to its double

helix structure. Franklin died at

the age of 37 in 1958, four years

before Maurice Wilkins of King’s, and Francis Crick and

James Watson of Cambridge, received the Nobel Prize for

their work on DNA.

Wednesday 25 February

Florence nightingale: romance and realityMark bostridge’s biography of

Florence Nightingale describes

how she became a legend in her

lifetime as the heroine of the

Crimean War. Today she belongs

to that select band of historical

characters who are instantly

recognisable. But how much does her image as the Lady

with the Lamp obscure her real achievements, including

her attempt to professionalise nursing?

a short series of talks was held by authors who had

recently written about people from King’s whose

pioneering work and discoveries have had immense

influence on our lives today.

great hall

strand campus

tuesday 20 april 2004

are we citizens of the world?Speakers include:

Michael Clarke Director, International Policy

Institute, King’s College London

sir nicholas young Chief Executive,

the British Red Cross

governors hall

st. thomas’ hospital

thursday 13 May 2004

does the nhs treat its patients as citizens?Speakers include:

sir Ian Kennedy Shadow Chair, Commission

for Healthcare Audit and Inspection

Lord sutherland President, the Royal Society

of Edinburgh

great hall

strand campus

tuesday 12 october 2004

are scientists good citizens?Speakers include:

phil James Chair of the International Obesity

Task Force

trevor Jones Deputy Chairman of the Council,

King’s College London

great hall

strand campus

Wednesday 10 March 2004

Citizenship in an age of insecuritySpeakers include:

sir Lawrence Freedman Vice-Principal

(Research), King’s College London

Conor gearty Professor of Human Rights

Law, LSE professor W philip t James Cbe Md dsc FrCp rse

chairs the International Obesity Task Force and is Vice

President of the International Union of Nutritional

Sciences. He is an advisor to the EU and WHO.

professor trevor M Jones Cbe FKC is Director

General of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical

Industry, a Visiting Professor at King’s College London

and Deputy Chairman of the College Council.

Citizenship: a series of symposia

King’s is ‘dedicated to the advancement of

knowledge, learning and understanding in the

service of society’.

In keeping with this mission statement

this series of events explored the question of

good citizenship, which demands new answers

in the context of modern globalisation and

the pluralism of contemporary society.

these symposia explored and examine what,

nowadays, constitutes our notion of the

good citizen. the issue is a timely one: not

only are the boundaries and the demands

of citizenship becoming increasingly blurred

and complex, but also governments and their

agencies require the universities and schools

to teach citizenship as a subject.

this series was expressly designed to

cross disciplinary boundaries between

humanities and sciences, and to bring

together academics, professionals and the

general public in productive discussion and

debate.

professor sir Lawrence Freedman KCMg Cbe Fba FKC is Vice-Principal (Research) and Professor of War

Studies at King’s College London. He is one of the

country’s foremost defence experts and was appointed

Official Historian of the Falklands Campaign in 1997.

professor Conor gearty is Rausing Director of the

Centre for the Study of Human Rights and Professor of

Human Rights Law at the LSE. He is also a member of

Matrix Chambers. He taught at King’s College from 1991

to 2002.

professor Michael Clarke is the Director of the

International Policy Institute at King’s College London.

He is a Specialist Advisor to the House of Commons

Defence Committee

sir nicholas young is Chief Executive of the British

Red Cross and Vice President of Macmillan Cancer

Relief. He was knighted in 2000 for services tozcancer

care.

professor sir Ian Kennedy Fba is Shadow Chairman

of the new Commission for Healthcare Audit and

Inspection. He is a member of the Advisory Committee

on Medical Countermeasureszand of the CJD Therapy

Group.

the right honourable Lord sutherland of houndwood Kt Fba Frse FKC is President of the Royal

Society of Edinburgh and Chairman of Universities

Scotland. He was Principal and Vice-Chancellor at the

University of Edinburgh; Vice-Chancellor of the University

of London; Principal of King’s College London and Vice-

Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors.

Beating Retreat

exhIbItIon

exhibition: the duke of Wellington and King’s College London

this exhibition from the College Archives included material on the Duke’s influential role in the founding of King’s College and examples

of campaign medals for the Battle of Waterloo (1815) which led to the final defeat of Napoleon.

Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington, was born in Dublin in 1769. He made his name as a military commander in India between 1797 and 1805, and then in the Peninsular War in Portugal and Spain (1809-1814). When Napoleon escaped from Elba Wellington hastened from the Congress of Vienna to command the allied forces at the Battle of Waterloo, where the French were routed on 18 June 1815. He had entered politics as an MP in 1806, and returned to political office in 1818, becoming Prime Minister in 1827. He died in 1852.

‘King’s Colledge [sic] to wit – a practical essay’ by T Jones (1829)

The Duke of Wellington (right) fought his only duel on behalf of King’s on 21 March 1829, after being publicly challenged by the Earl of Winchilsea over his simultaneous support for the establishment of the Anglican College and the Roman Catholic Emancipation Bill in 1829. The Earl accused the Duke of ‘insidious designs for the infringement of our liberties and the introduction of popery into every department of state’. The duel was bloodless and the Earl later apologised.

Fanfare of trumpets Napoleonic Association

Band of the Scots Guards

The Duke of Wellington in old age by a pupil at King’s College School

Celebrating global partnerships

This one-day symposium was a celebration and promotion

of international partnership in higher education. King’s

College London has enjoyed a wide range of international

links since its foundation.

discourses included:

• educational and research challenges across the world

• educating the healthcare workforce of the future• the importance of international research

collaboration• Forging new partnerships and learning from

experience• the ethical challenges for scientists and health

professionals in higher education

Speakers included:

sir graeme Catto Vice Principal, King’s College London

and President of the General Medical Council

sir Cyril Chantler Chairman Great Ormond Street

Hospital

david Cornblath Director, Neurology EMG Laboratory,

John Hopkins University, USA

Michael gibbons Secretary General of the Association of

Commonwealth Universities

Jonathan glover Professor of Medical Law and Ethics,

King’s College London

adrian hayday Kay Glendinning Professor of

Immunobiology, King’s College London

Mike Johns Director, Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences

Center, Emory University, USA

roger Jones Director, Centre for Caribbean Health,

King’s College London

stephen parker Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice

President, Monash University, Australia

Mark Walport Director, The Wellcome Trust

student scholarshipsTwo special international scholarships were made available

for the 175th anniversary to promote exchanges with our

partner institutions. One student each from Geography and

Biomedical Sciences had the opportunity to experience

student life abroad. Their placements were split between

Singapore University and Monash University in Australia

during the academic year of 2004-2005 to enrich their

international experience.

syMposIuM: gLobaL partnershIps In the eduCatIon oF sCIenCe and heaLth

the Film Festival alumni in Word and Image presented

the work and achievements of a selection of King’s most

famous alumni, whose words, music and vision have

inspired these films.

Alumni in word & image: film festival

6 october

Jude

(UK 1996,

dir. Michael Winterbottom)

KCL alumnus:

thomas hardy, author of

Jude the Obscure.

Thomas Hardy studied French at

King’s from 1859-1860.

Some of his most famous novels have been made into

films. A stonemason, Jude, tricked into an unsatisfactory

marriage, tirelessly pursues a cousin he loves. Jude

and his cousin live out of wedlock, and are rejected by

an unforgiving society leaving them to struggle in abject

poverty with disastrous consequences.

13 october

Michael Collins

(UK/USA 1996, dir. Neil Jordan)

KCL alumnus:

Michael Collins, subject of film.

Michael Collins, Sinn Fein leader,

was a student in the King’s

Civil Service Department.

The rise and fall of one of the

most controversial figures in

Ireland’s struggle for independence is chronicled in this

biographical drama. The ‘Lion of Ireland’, Michael Collins

led the IRA against British rule and founded the free

Republic of Eire in 1921.

20 october (tbc)

2001: a space odyssey (UK/

USA, 1968

dir. Stanley Kubrick)

KCL alumnus: arthur C. Clarke,

author of The Sentinel,

(basis of storyline).

Arthur C Clarke graduated in

Mathematics and Physics from

King’s in 1948 and wrote The Sentinel which would form

the basis of Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 landmark epic 2001:

A Space Odyssey. This film represented a break from

the narrative convention to tell four tangentially related

stories about man’s destiny, reflected in the conquest of

space. Featuring some of the most stunning visual effects

to appear on screen before or since, a genuine sense

of wonder at the beauty and the vastness of space is

created.

27 october

Wittgenstein (UK, 1993, dir. Derek Jarman)

KCL alumnus:

derek Jarman, director of film.

Derek Jarman read English and

History of Art at King’s in the

early 1960s. He directed this

dramatisation of the life and

ideas of Ludwig Wittgenstein

(1889-1951). Wittgenstein is also linked to the Guy’s,

King’s & St Thomas’ School of Medicine of King’s College

London, having been a porter at Guy’s during the second

world war.

3 november (tbc)

My beautiful Laundrette

(UK, 1985,

dir. Stephen Frears)

KCL alumnus: hanif

Kureishi, author of My

Beautiful Laundrette.

Hanif Kureishi graduated

in philosophy from King’s

in 1977 and wrote the story that inspired this film.

Set within the Asian community in London during

the Thatcherite years, My Beautiful Laundrette is a

multi-layered portrait of the immigrant experience

in Britain.

10 november

the piano (Australia/NZ/

France 1993, dir. Jane

Campion)

KCL alumnus:

Michael nyman,

composer of soundtrack.

Michael Nyman studied for

his MMus at King’s in 1970.

The central character is

mute, and communicates through the eponymous

piano. The story of the relationship between the

three main characters unfolds like a Greek tragedy,

with a chorus of Maori tribesman and a savage

natural backdrop. This film was widely acclaimed for

the musical score.

Thomas Hardy

Michael Collins

Michael Nyman

Arthur C Clarke Hanif Kureishi

Derek Jarman

Westminster Abbey Service of Thanksgiving

service of thanksgivingWestminster abbey

tuesday 19 october 2004

a service of thanksgiving was held in Westminster abbey

to mark the foundation of King’s and to celebrate the

175 years of the College’s existence. the award of a

royal Charter from King george IV in august 1829 aimed

to distinguish King’s from university College London

which had no religious basis. Many of the major players

in the College’s foundation were bishops and prominent

clergymen, including Charles Manners-sutton, the

archbishop of Canterbury, Charles blomfield, the bishop of

London and george d’oyly, the rector of Lambeth.

Today King’s includes staff and students of all beliefs

and backgrounds, and the service celebrated our life

together.

Both the 100th and 150th anniversaries of the College

were celebrated with services at Westminster Abbey and

the 175th anniversary year continues the tradition.

the event included:

• a sermon given by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the

Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams

• readings and prayers given by members of the College

community

• music, hymns and anthems sung by the Chapel Choir

of King’s College London

annIVersary MusIC

production of anniversary Music Cd‘adVent FroM KIng’s’A CD commemorating the College’s 175th anniversary was released in May 2004. The year 2004 also marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Music Department, and it is therefore fitting that the two most prominent performing groups within the College, the King’s College London Chapel Choir (conducted by the Head of Music and College Organist, David Trendell) and the viol consort Phantasm (directed by the Thurston Dart Professor of Performance Studies, Laurence Dreyfus), joined forces to record a disc of Music for Advent, reflecting the popularity of the annual Advent Carol Services. The CD included fantasias by the seventeenth-century English composer, Michael East, and two verse anthems by his contemporary Orlando Gibbons, as well as music by Byrd, Warlock and George Benjamin, Henry Purcell Professor of Composition at KCL.

The chapel of Westminster Abbey facing east

The west end of Westminster Abbey by night

Detail of carving over the west door of the Abbey

King’s College London Chapel Choir

Dean’s YardKing’s College London was founded in 1829 and now has over 13,800 undergraduate students and nearly 5,700 postgraduates in nine schools of study. It is one of the uK’s leading universities and is a member of the

russell group: a coalition of the uK’s major research-based universities. King’s is in the top group of uK institutions for research earnings, with income from grants and contracts of £100 million, and has an annual turnover of more than £348 million.

In 2004 it was agreed that the College would celebrate its 175th anniversary and to this end an anniversary programme was developed and organised by the Public Relations Office that encompassed:

Formal Celebratory eventsAt the beginning of the year the Commemoration Oration by Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a revival of a King’s tradition and attracted over 800 attendees (and considerable media interest), necessitating video relays to the Chapel and two lecture theatres.

At the end of 2004 a Service of Thanksgiving was held at Westminster Abbey, attended by the Chancellor, HRH the Princess Royal, with a sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

historical eventsA series of lunchtime talks, King’s People Who Changed The World, on leading King’s figures by distinguished biographers proved extremely popular with 80-110 people attending each session.

Exhibitions of historical material were produced by the Archives Department, both in situ and on the web.

‘Fun’ eventsBeating Retreat involved 150 performers and was attended by over 600 people. The evening included a recreation of the Duke of Wellington’s duel at the foundation of King’s and a spectacular firework display (all sponsored).

The Alumni Weekend in June attracted over 800 people to an event that included a boat race, a debate and a ball.

At the beginning of the year, over 400 King’s staff and students took part in anniversary ice skating sessions at Somerset House, which is next to the Strand Campus.

An anniversary Film Festival, Alumni In Word and Image, took place in October.

symposiaIn addition to annual College lectures, a series of symposia over the year exploring the notion of ‘Citizenship’ were addressed by a number of distinguished speakers.

An anniversary Student Debate considered the future of university funding.

A symposium entitled Global Partnerships for Science and Health was held at the Guy’s hospital campus on 23 June and attracted over 160 delegates from sixteen countries, including a large number of senior staff from other universities at the level of chancellor and dean.

The Dental Institute also organised a major event entitled Global Perspectives of the GKT Dental Institute as part of the celebrations.

Local partnershipsA Staff Volunteering Week was organised by the Widening Participation Office in June, during which staff gave their time to work in the local community.

At a different level, the College’s close involvement with Somerset House over the 1604 Celebrations afforded the opportunity to highlight the College’s anniversary to neighbours and to a very wide public audience.

The overriding principle of the year was that events should be open to all, and free. The theme of much of the year emphasised the College’s work ‘in the service of society’, which was echoed in the title of the new College history which was published at the beginning of the year.

This overview of activity is by no means comprehensive, and does not include special lectures, or musical events (or the College Choir anniversary CD) that have come under the 175 ‘umbrella’. Overall, the 175th Anniversary provided a focus for a large number and range of people to learn more about the College and its achievements over the past 175 years.

‘Beating Retreat’ by the Band of the Scots Guards and the

Napoleonic Association was a seated outdoor performance

celebrating the founding of King’s College London. The

centrepiece was a performance by the Band of the Scots

Guards of ‘Wellington’s Victory’ by Ludwig van Beethoven,

complete with sound, lighting effects and fireworks. This piece

was written for the Duke of Wellington and dedicated to King

George IV – both directly involved in the foundation of King’s

College London. The Duke of Wellington was Prime Minister in

1829, the year the College was founded, and he chaired a public

meeting in 1828 which resolved upon the foundation of the

College and raised funds for the project.

The story of the foundation of the College included a

re-enactment of the duel that the Duke of Wellington fought in

support of his role as founder of King’s. To convey something of

the background of the Duke of Wellington’s life as commander

of the allied troops who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, the

event featured a re-enactment of a battle by members of the

Napoleonic Association.

More than 150 performers recreated scenes and music

from 175 years ago, providing the audience with an opportunity

to sample the atmosphere of the era when the College was

founded.

great hall (and courtyard)

strand campus

Friday 30 april 2004