Our campus and visiting us
York is a campus university renowned for its green spaces and lakes.
Our campus is home to an abundance of wildlife, hundreds of works of art, and plenty of places to eat, drink and shop. It's located within walking distance of York's historic city centre. The campus has grown significantly since the first of our buildings rose from Heslington's marshes at the beginning of the 1960s. Today, we continue to invest in our campus to ensure it's a great place to live, study and work.
500 acres of green space
with ponds, gardens, parkland and two lakes.
Campus photo highlights
Our campus is home to many landmarks including listed buildings, colleges and Central Hall.
![Heslington Hall is a Grade II* listed building, constructed as a country house in 1568. It was rebuilt in the 19th and 20th centuries, and formed part of our foundations.](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Image gallery-UoY_Heslington Hall - August 2017_ Alex Holland - 001.jpg)
![Central Hall is a tiered auditorium and has a capacity of 1,190. It's used for graduations, concerts, conferences and other events.](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Image gallery-UoY_Central Hall - September 2017_Alex Holland-3.jpg)
![Greg's Place is a outdoor lakeside community space located next to Central Hall. Opened in 2016, it's named after our former Chancellor, Greg Dyke.](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Image gallery-UoY_Graduation 2018_July 2018_Alex Holland-25.jpg)
![The JB Morrell Library houses most of our collections, including over 1 million print items.](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Image gallery-UoY_Library Facilities_November 2018_Alex Holland-11.jpg)
![The Quiet Place is an area of stillness and quiet in the grounds of Heslington Hall.](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Image gallery-UoY_MRAO - PG srtudents around campus - April 2023 - Alex Holland-55.jpg)
![Derwent College is one of our two founding colleges. It was opened in 1965 by Queen Elizabeth II and is named after the River Derwent.](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Image gallery-UoY_Campus - Derwent_March 2023 - Alex Holland-1.jpg)
![Anne Lister College is one of our newest colleges and the first to be named after a woman, as well as someone who was part of the LGBTQ+ community.](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Image gallery-UoY_Accommodation - Anne Lister Collage_September 2021 - Alex Holland-1.jpg)
![York Sport Village facilities include a competition-standard 25 metre swimming pool, Astroturf pitches, fitness suites and gym.](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Image gallery-UoY_Sport - Swimming - John Houlihan9.jpg)
![Growing in a courtyard garden within the School of Physics, Engineering and Technology lives a remnant of Isaac Newton's past - an ancient apple tree.](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Image gallery-UoY_Physics - Newtons Tree - June 2022 - Alex Holland-2.jpg)
![The Piazza Building offers Starbucks coffee in its cafe and a range of hot food options in its restaurant, including noodle bowls, burritos and more.](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Image gallery-UoY_Piazza - March 2018_Alex Holland-3.jpg)
![The Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall has some of the finest acoustics for instrumental and vocal performance in the north of England. It hosts performances by professional visiting artists, as well as University ensembles, orchestras and choirs.](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/UoY_Department of Music - Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall_February 2021 - Alex Holland-4.jpg)
![David Kato College is our newest college and has been designed to optimise views of the beautiful landscape and surrounding lake.](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Image gallery-UoY_Accommodation - David Kato_October 2022 - Alex Holland-1.jpg)
![Walk the Solar System on campus with our trail and discover scale replicas of the planets.](/media/physics-engineering-technology/outreach/pet-outreach-walk-800.jpg)
Facilities on campus
![](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Image gallery-UoY_MRAO - Students around campus - June 2022 - Alex Holland-204.jpg)
Eat, drink and shop
Campus has a great range of shops and eateries. These are open to students, staff and the public. Grab a takeaway coffee, stock up on grocery essentials, purchase 四虎影院 official merchandise, or catch up with friends over a meal at one of our cafés and restaurants.
Profits from our Eat, Shop and Drink outlets are reinvested into the University to improve the facilities and services for all across campus.
Wildlife on campus
Wildlife is everywhere on campus. Our lakes and wetlands make it a popular place for many species of birds including ducks, geese, swans, grebes, moorhens, coots and herons. Rabbits and squirrels are a regular sight across our parkland.
Long Boi, an unusually tall male duck much loved by staff and students and a favourite of BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James, called our campus his home. The Long Boiology art trail celebrates the longest duck on the lake and the outstanding research and education that goes on in the Department of Biology.
![](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Standard image-UoY_Campus East - Wildlife_August 2020 - Alex Holland-6.jpg)
Campus tree trails
Campus is home to over 70 different tree species, both native and non-native to the British Isles. Discover more about them with our guided walking tree trails, a great way to explore campus in all four seasons.
![](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/derwent-trees.jpg)
![](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Image gallery-UoY_York Cares - Mural_June 2023 - Alex Holland-42.jpg)
Art on campus
Art has always been part of our University. Our collection has grown to encompass over 900 artworks, including works from acclaimed artists such as Barbara Hepworth and Sidney Nolan.
In January 2022, we appointed out first Art Curator and a new era began for art on campus, opening up our collection to visitors and interdisciplinary collaborations.
Public events and opportunities
Head to campus and enjoy one of our many public events, lectures or concerts throughout the year.
![](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Standard image-UoY_Events - Festival of Ideas - Tracy Borman_June 2023 - Alex Holland-5.jpg)
Open lectures
Free open lectures on a wide variety of topics and aimed at a general audience.
Offering a huge range of stimulating and diverse events for all ages and interests.
![](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Standard image-UoY_Communications - Spotlight competition 2024_January 2024 - Alex Holland-28.jpg)
YorkTalks
An annual research showcase featuring short, accessible, 15-minute presentations.
Our annual concert series features acclaimed artists as well as student ensembles.
Explore campus with our student vlogs
Discover more about what campus has to offer from our students.
Fun campus facts
Jimi Hendrix
performed on campus in 1967 and has a hall named after him.
Anne Lister
went to school at King's Manor at the start of the 19th century and has a college named after her.
The Buddha sculpture on campus
is gifted with coins by students hoping for luck in exams.
History of our campus
What should a university be, how should it grow, how do its activities interact, and how do people move about? These were the questions Sir Andrew Derbyshire, the University's first project architect, answered in his innovative development plan of the University in 1962. It envisioned an informal, predominantly car-free environment, with covered pathways and college buildings which integrated academic, social and residential activities.
The University opened in 1963 with three buildings. By the end of the 1960s, it had grown to include five colleges, three laboratories, Central Hall, the JB Morrell Library, a sports hall and the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall. Many of our original buildings are now recognised as some of the most iconic displays of Brutalism in the UK.
We revisited Derbyshire’s original plan when we kicked off discussions for our Campus East expansion at the beginning of the new millennium. In it, we readopted the key principles of community and landscape as the heart of the proposed development.
![](/media/abouttheuniversity/campus/Web Standard image-University model plan.jpg)
A model plan of the University.
Rules of campus
To help maintain the standard of our campus please:
- keep dogs on leads at all times
- only take assistance dogs into buildings
- stick to the paths and walkways use your bike on designated cycle routes.
Read our Rules of the use of campus grounds (PDF , 673kb) for more information.