Uncovering hidden histories: launch of the Alternative Guide to the Glamorgan Building
20 May 2025
A new immersive walking tour, The Alternative Guide to the Glamorgan Building, invites staff, students and visitors to reflect on how our spaces shape — and are shaped by — issues of identity, belonging and inclusion.
The Glamorgan Building is home to the School of Geography and Planning and the School of Social Sciences.
Written and recorded by undergraduate student Poppy Gray, as part of a summer research internship working with Dr Esther Muddiman (School of Social Sciences) and Dr Agatha Herman (School of Geography and Planning), the guide uncovers some lesser-known stories and social histories embedded in the Glamorgan Building’s walls.
Drawing on interviews with staff and students, it offers a personal and critical perspective on a building that may feel familiar to many, yet holds more than a century of layered, and at times uncomfortable, histories.
Though parts of the building have changed over time, many features remain much as they were when it was first constructed. This guide encourages listeners to consider how the design and construction of the space reflect gendered, classed and racialised decisions — and how those legacies continue to shape our experiences within it today.
Dr Agatha Herman from the School of Geography and Planning, said:“The Glamorgan Building is a place where many of us study, work and connect — but it’s also a building with a deep and complicated history. This guide gives us a chance to think differently about the spaces we move through every day and how they influence our sense of belonging.”
The project is a collaboration between the School of Social Sciences and the School of Geography and Planning, with funding from the Learning and Teaching Academy. It forms part of wider efforts to foster dialogue about equity and diversity in our university spaces.
The guide is now available for all staff, students and visitors to access. Whether you're new to the building or have walked its corridors for years, it offers a fresh perspective on what it means to truly feel part of a space.