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
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
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 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