2012 marked a double anniversary for the University of Southampton. It celebrated its diamond jubilee as the first university to be created in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, receiving its royal charter on 29 April 1952. The second anniversary was that of the foundation of the Hartley Institution, the University's predecessor. The Hartley Institution was opened by Lord Palmerston, the then Prime Minister, on 15 October 1862.
The exhibition "To constitute and found a university ...": from Hartley Institution to the University of Southampton's diamond jubilee set out to reflect development over 150 years, both in terms of the experience of students, from the nineteenth century onwards, and in the physical changes to the institution.