Royal Holloway and Bedford New College: A Legacy of Pioneering Education

Royal Holloway, University of London—formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College—stands as one of the United Kingdom’s most distinguished public research universities. With roots stretching back to the mid-nineteenth century, the institution represents a remarkable fusion of two pioneering colleges for the education of women: Bedford College, founded in 1849, and Royal Holloway College, which opened in 1886. Today, it is a member of the federal University of London, home to approximately 13,000 students from more than 100 countries, and widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading research-intensive universities.

A History of Two Foundations

The story of Royal Holloway and Bedford New College begins with two remarkable nineteenth-century visionaries. Bedford College was established in 1849 by Elizabeth Jesser Reid (1789–1866), a social justice campaigner and advocate for abolitionism, women’s suffrage, and the right to education for women. As a wealthy widow, Reid funded the creation of a higher education college at 47 Bedford Square in London, offering a liberal and non-sectarian education to women at a time when such opportunities were virtually non-existent. The first cohort of around 68 students attended by day, and Bedford’s establishment paved the way for other women’s colleges, including Girton College at Cambridge (1869) and Somerville College at Oxford (1879)—both founded by Bedford alumnae or trustees. Buy fake diploma online.

Royal Holloway College was founded by Victorian entrepreneur and philanthropist Thomas Holloway (1800–1883) and his wife Jane (1814–1875). The Holloways built a thriving medicine business that made them among the wealthiest people in Britain. With no heirs to inherit their fortune, they turned to philanthropy. Thomas Holloway resolved to build a women’s college in nearby Egham, inspired by his wife’s vision. The result was the Founder’s Building, a Grade I listed red-brick masterpiece modelled on the Château de Chambord in France’s Loire Valley. Queen Victoria officially opened Royal Holloway College in 1886. Both colleges became constituent members of the University of London in 1900. Royal Holloway admitted its first male postgraduate students in 1945 and male undergraduates in 1965.

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The Merger and a New Identity

In 1985, against the backdrop of higher education funding cuts and institutional competition, Royal Holloway College merged with Bedford College to form Royal Holloway and Bedford New College (RHBNC)—a name that remains the institution’s official registered name by Act of Parliament. The first student intake at the Egham campus took place in 1985/86. In 2022, the college became a university in its own right within the University of London. Today, its coat of arms celebrates the heritage of both founding institutions, and its motto—*Esse quam videri*—means “to be, rather than to seem”.

Academic Excellence and Research Strength

Royal Holloway consistently ranks among the UK’s top universities. *The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026* placed it 32nd nationally, while *The Complete University Guide 2026* ranked it 35th overall and fourth in the South East of England. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, it sits within the 401–500 band globally. The institution is renowned for its research intensity: in the Research Excellence Framework 2021, Royal Holloway remained within the top 25% of all UK research institutions, and Times Higher Education’s analysis ranked it 15th in the UK for the overall quality of its research outputs. With 88% of its research rated as world-leading or internationally excellent in the latest REF, the university is home to world-leading experts across the sciences, arts, business, economics, and law.

The university is organised into six schools and 21 academic departments, with particular strengths in the arts and humanities—notably drama, theatre, music, politics, psychology, and geography. The Bedford Centre for the History of Women and Gender builds directly on Bedford College’s legacy as the first higher education institution for women, promoting research into women’s history and gender studies. The institution’s scholarly output is substantial: its researchers have produced over 37,000 works, accumulating more than 1.24 million citations.

A Campus of Exceptional Beauty

The Egham campus spans 135 acres of Surrey parkland, located just 19 miles from central London and seven miles from Heathrow Airport. The campus has been named one of the most beautiful in the world, dominated by the magnificent Founder’s Building and its renowned Picture Gallery. The university also maintains a Central London campus at Bedford Square, Stewart House, and Senate House in Bloomsbury, preserving a physical link to Bedford College’s original site.

A Global Alumni Community

With over 100,000 alumni worldwide, Royal Holloway counts among its distinguished graduates novelist George Eliot (one of Bedford College’s first students), suffragette Emily Wilding Davison, Dr Elizabeth Blackwell—the first woman doctor entered on the General Medical Council register—actor Mark Strong, EU Foreign Minister Baroness Cathy Ashton, broadcaster and scientist David Bellamy, and Paralympic triple gold medallist Sophie Christiansen. Sir Lenny Henry, comedian and Comic Relief co-founder, earned his MA in Screenwriting for Television and Film at the university.

From its dual foundations in nineteenth-century women’s education to its position today as a world-class research university, Royal Holloway and Bedford New College remains a testament to the transformative power of education—and a place where pioneering spirits continue to thrive.