Bloomsbury Walking Tour: International students and intellectual change in different times

Bloomsbury, synonym for artistic vanguardism, Georgian terrace houses and University institutions, serves a perfect case study of how knowledge production, cultural activities, architectural designs interact with land use and urban change. From William Wilkins, Charles Holden and Denys Lasdun, master planners envisioned, and failed to deliver their speculative designs upon the residential area first commissioned by Thomas Cubitt. The multitudes of architectural styles witnessed the mobility and intellectual change of international students. Shadowed by the current Asian students, stories of their predecessors await to be told. This walking tour will guide visitors to the multiple layers of history that lie behind the multiple architectural styles of Bloomsbury. We will uncover the hidden connections between the metamorphosis of the University precinct and the stories of immigrants, overseas scholars, social and political changes from the 19th century.