London, University of

London, University of, at London, England; founded 1836 as an examining and degree-giving body. Teaching functions were not added until 1898. It comprised at first University College (which had been founded in 1826 as the Univ. of London, a nonsectarian school) and King's College (founded 1829 by adherents of the Church of England). It is now a large aggregation of affiliated schools, colleges, institutes, and hospitals. Besides University and King's, its schools and colleges include Wye College (1447), Royal Veterinary College (1791), Birkbeck (1823), School of Pharmacy (1842), Royal Holloway and Bedford New College (1985; merging Bedford [1849] and Royal Holloway [1883] colleges for women), Queen Mary and Westfield College (1989; merging Queen Mary [1887] and Westfield [1882] colleges for women), London School of Economics and Political Science (1895), Goldsmith's College (1904), Imperial College (1907), and the School of Oriental and African Studies (1916); it also has several theological and medical schools. Among its famous institutes are the Warburg Institute, the Courtauld Institute of Art, and the Institute of Historical Research.