Royal Agricultural University

The Royal Agricultural University stands in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, on land once shaped by generations of farmers. Its main building, begun in 1845, rises in Victorian Tudor style, designed by S. W. Daukes and John R. Hamilton. The college opened with just 25 students in September 1845, the first of its kind in the English-speaking world. Queen Victoria granted a royal charter the same year, and every monarch since has served as patron. In 2013 the institution became a university, and it now runs farms, research centres and a Cultural Heritage Institute in Swindon. The university is recognised for its strong student experience, topping the Sunday Times Good University Guide in Gloucestershire. Its research was judged world-leading or internationally excellent in 52 per cent of cases in 2021. The library holds 40,000 printed volumes, 40,000 e-books and a historical collection dating back to the 16th century. Students train at the John Oldacre Rural Innovation Centre, a £1.2 million conversion opened by Sir John Beddington in 2014. The university also fields teams in shooting, polo, rugby and equestrian sports, and maintains its own beagle pack founded in 1889. Visitors find a campus framed by working farms and sports pitches. Coates Manor Farm stretches across arable and pasture land, while Fossehill Farm offers polo and hunter livery. The John Oldacre Rural Innovation Centre provides workshops in forklift driving, blacksmithing and welding. The library’s historical collection includes early texts on agriculture and estate management. Sports facilities include an all-weather pitch, squash courts and tennis courts. Beyond the gates lie the rolling landscapes of the Cotswolds, where the university’s beagles once hunted hares.