The Academic Dress of the University of Hull From 1954 to the Present Day, Including the Hull-York Medical School from 2003

University College Hull was founded in 1927 through the support of local benefactors, such as Thomas Robinson Ferens (who gave the land and £250,000), GF Grant and the City Council. The foundation stone was laid by the Duke of York (later George VI) in 1928, and the College opened in October with 39 students and 14 ‘one-man’ departments; the milestone of 100 students was reached in 1931. The College prepared students for external degrees of the University of London. The decision in the post-war years to create a number of new universities, including Nottingham (1948), Southampton (1952) Exeter (1955), and Leicester (1957), afforded a similar opportunity to Hull. The robemaker Wippell’s of Exeter had a contact in Hull in the form of Messrs. Woods Brothers Ltd. On 1 October 1953 Donald Wippell wrote to The Principal of The University College, Hull, observing that he had noted in the Yorkshire Post that the Court of Governors was to submit a petition for a Royal Charter granting full university status. Wippell’s were petitioning for the opportunity to supply all the ceremonial robes for the inauguration ceremony and to be appointed Robemakers to the University. [Excerpt]