Alan Turing Building

The Alan Turing Building is named after the mathematician and founder of computer science Alan Turing.

It is located at the University of Manchester, in England, where Turing himself read mathematics. It houses the School of Mathematics, the Photon Science Institute and the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, part of the School of Physics and Astronomy.

The building was designed by architects Sheppard Robson, incorporating the ideas and suggestions of many of the School’s staff and students. It was completed in 2007

It has a steel frame, reinforced concrete stair wells and grey zinc exterior cladding. It consists of three four-story ‘fingers. The northern two fingers are joined by an atrium, which is spanned by a series of bridges. The southernmost finger was designed to hold low vibration laboratories, and is joined by a glazed bridge at third floor level to the middle finger.

An ‘over-sailing’ roof structure connects the three fingers acting as a suspension system for a photovoltaic array/solar shading using thin film technology. This photovoltaic array is designed to produce nearly 41 megawatt hours per annum, a saving of 17,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide each year. At the time of completion this was the largest photovoltaic array in North West England, and helped the architects to win an award for ‘Business Commitment to the Environment’.

Visiting

The building is located in the Chorlton-on-Medlock district of Manchester, on Upper Brook Street, and is adjacent to the new University Place.

See also…

• University of Manchester
• Wikipedia article on the Alan Turing Building

Burlington House was originally a private mansion in the Palladian style, and was expanded in the mid 19th century after being purchased by the British government. It was at this time in the 1870s when these statues were added.

The main building is at the northern end of the courtyard and houses the Royal Academy, while five learned societies occupy the two wings on the east and west sides of the courtyard and the Piccadilly wing at the southern end.

These societies, collectively known as the Courtyard Societies are:

• the Geological Society of London
• Linnean Society of London
• Royal Astronomical Society
• Society of Antiquaries of London
• Royal Society of Chemistry

Burlington House is most familiar to the general public as the venue for the Royal Academy’s high profile temporary art exhibitions.

The rear of the building is now home to a commercial art gallery Haunch of Venison.

Visting

The statues are on the south side of Burlington Gardens. The closes underground station is Picadilly Circus.

Also see…

• Royal Academy article on Burlington House
• Wikipedia article on Burlington House

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Jeremy Bentham plaque. By Christian Liits

Philosopher Jeremy Bentham lived for forty years in a house on the site now occupied by the Ministry of Justice (102 Petty France).

The house, in what came to be called Queen’s Square Place, was bequeathed to Bentham by his father Jeremiah on his death in 1792. Jeremiah had first rented the house in May 1763 while Jeremy was a fifteen year old undergraduate at Oxford. Jeremy’s first comment on the family’s move from Crutched Friars in the City, comes in a letter written from Queen’s College Oxford to his father on 24 March 1763:

I received the favour of yours on Friday, and am very glad to find by it, that you are likely to suit yourself with a house so much to your liking; for my part, from the description you give me, and the idea I have of it, I really think it must be very pleasant and convenient; I should be glad to hear that you have taken it, of which I can only draw a probable conclusion from your data, as you have not expressly mentioned it.

The house proved convenient for Jeremiah bought it at the end of 1764. Bentham’s house could be entered through a dark passageway from Queen Anne’s Gate near the site of the plaque, or through a gate into his garden from Bird Cage Walk to the left of the Barracks.

Councillor Catherine Longworth, Lord Mayor of Westminster and Professor Malcolm Grant, the President and Provost of University College London, unveiled a commemorative plaque to Jeremy Bentham on the gateway of the current building.

Visiting

The current building is a government office and not open to the public.

See also…

• Reporting of unveiling of plaque

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Would you like to write it for us?

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Sorry, this article hasn’t been completed yet.

Would you like to write it for us?

Humanist Heritage relies on contributions from users so if you’re interested in helping us please drop us a line.

Would you like to write it for us?

Humanist Heritage relies on contributions from users so if you’re interested in helping us please drop us a line.

Sorry, this article hasn’t been written yet.

Would you like to write it for us?

Humanist Heritage relies on contributions from users so if you’re interested in helping us please drop us a line.