The year 2022 marks the centenary of the Department of Geography at King’s College London. Established in 1922, the Department was originally set up as part of an intercollegiate collaboration with the London School of Economics and was called the ‘Joint School of Geography at King’s College, London and the London School of Economics’.
Today, it is recognised as a world-leading Department, engaging with global challenges and pressing environmental, urban and social issues. InTouch Online reflects on the Department’s early beginnings, highlights its present-day achievements, interviews its longest-serving staff member and illustrates its journey through historical images.
When a full geography degree was first introduced in 1922, modules covered physical geography, map reading, regional and historical geography, the history of geographical study, economic geography, and the distribution of man, animals and plants. At that time, there were five students.
By its golden jubilee in 1972, the Joint School offered BA, BSc and BSc (Economics) degrees. It welcomed around 400 geography students, including almost 100 postgraduate students from other parts of the world, and shared 31 staff members. Primary regional study focused on London and South-East England – a legacy of former Head of Department, Professor Sidney W Wooldridge, whose physical research concentrated on the London Basin and the Weald.
From its early home in the old Norfolk Hotel (Norfolk Building), the Department is now based at Bush House and sits within the School of Global Affairs (SGA), which is part of the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy.
Geography School in 1952
Wooldridge Mascot
Students on a field survey course near Rogate
Interior of the main laboratory at the Rogate Field Centre
Department office circa 1980
Geography School in 1941
Joint School of Geography, 1982
Professor Sidney Wooldridge on field work with students
Rogate Field Centre, Sussex
King’s Department of Geography is working to make the world a better place. Accepting over 100 undergraduates and 200 postgraduate-taught students each year, the Department is a vibrant community of students and the largest in the SGA. At undergraduate level, a BA and a BSc degree continue. In 2001, the BSc merged with the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS) to award a joint honours degree; as of 2019, the course received accreditation by the Royal Geographical Society; and in 2021, the programme was renamed BSc Geography and Environmental Science to recognise the technical specialisms of geocomputation and spatial data analysis. At postgraduate level, the Department runs a suite of master’s programmes. In the late 90s, programmes on cities, culture, and environmental monitoring were introduced to address the changing landscape of the field. More recently, enrolment on newer degrees focused on climate change and sustainability has soared, responding to the trending environmental concerns of today.
‘I joined the Department as part of the post-Robbins expansion to appoint more social scientists to complement a team of largely physical geographers. It launched a lifetime of service to society through King’s.’
Alongside classroom studies, field research has long been the highlight of many students’ degrees. Alumni may recall visits to Rogate Field Centre in Sussex, Dartmoor and County Clare. Further afield, trips to Spain began in the late 90s, with locations like Morocco, India, Hong Kong, San Francisco and Portugal carried out in the 2010s. Naturally, being environmentally conscious, the carbon footprint of trips is also considered. In fact, a charity fundraiser organised by the Department’s Sustainability Champions and student society, GeogSoc, raised almost enough funds to offset the undergraduate field trips to both Lisbon and Morocco in 2020.
Professor David Green
Meet the longest-serving academic staff member
Professor of Historical Geography, David Green, has worked in the Department of Geography for 44 years. He joined in 1979 and is the longest-serving academic member of staff. Well-remembered by many of his former students, he shares some fond recollections of his time at King’s.
The Department’s world-class teaching interrogates key issues facing the world today, and its reputable research finds solutions to both local and global challenges. Field research is conducted in over 95 countries across seven continents, while closer to home, London is a ‘laboratory’ in which physical and human geographers cooperate on projects, including studies of personal air pollution exposure, flood mitigation and adaptation to heatwave risk, among others.
With an increasing commitment to a co-production of knowledge with societal partners, the Department collaborates with industry, government and civil society, both internationally and within the UK. Long-standing relationships between researchers, policymakers and communities lie at the heart of this collaborative culture. Noteworthy to mention is the Department’s flagship internship programme for master’s students, which engages over 60 London-based organisations, with several internships made possible through the connections of alumni.
The Department houses six research groups and umbrellas several research centres and hubs, which are the drivers of public debates, policy development, new projects and publications. For example, King’s Climate Hub, King’s Water Centre and the Earth Observation & Environmental Sensing Hub act as impact and public engagement platforms, bringing King’s interdisciplinary research to a wider public and practitioner audience; and expert academics have authored the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment reports.
King’s Geography is ranked 26th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022.
In the Research Excellence Framework 2021, which measures the impact of university research in the UK, Geography climbed to 12th place nationally – up from 25th place in 2014.
Geography now has 99 staff and researchers, 375 undergraduate students, 250+ postgraduate-taught students and 120+ PhD students.For its 100th anniversary in autumn 2022, the Department ran a series of celebratory events. These included research talks, walks and a photography exhibition of student field trips over the years. The Centenary Big Bash celebration invited a panel of guest speakers, former student society presidents and alumni.
From the intimate and everyday to the strategic and global, Geography’s research is world-leading. Indeed, its impact aligns with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals – a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. You can read the research stories here.
Never resting on its laurels, the Department is striving for inclusivity internally and in the field more broadly. It runs its own Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, which received an Athena SWAN Bronze Award in September 2019. Future plans include raising funds for master’s and doctoral studentships targeted at UK-based Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic applicants, to enable them to continue their university career beyond undergraduate level.
Find out more about the Geography Alumni Society (incorporating the Joint School Society) here.
Emily Berrington (Development Geography, 2008), actress
Sean Fletcher (Geography, 1996), TV presenter
Zoë Lee (PhD Geography, 2016), British rower
Sir Deryck Maughan (Geography, 1969), businessman & philanthropist
Laviai Nielsen (Geography, 2018), British sprinter
Matthew Offord (PhD Geography, 2012), MPYou must be logged in to post a comment.
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As a proud alumnus of King’s Geography dept, I loved this feature. I didn’t realise it was initially a joint venture with LSE! And good to see David Green there, who was a tutor on one of my modules.
The Spanish field trips began much earlier for the physical Geographers. Under the guidance of Denis Brunsden memorable trips were made to Almeria in 1973 and Mojaca in 1974.
I completed a PGCE in Geography at Kings from 1981 to 1982. The Education department was probably separate from the Geography as I do not remember any interaction with it. Our course lecturer/supervisor was, from memory, Gordon Cross – a very kind and supportive tutor. Good memories of KCL.
Hello Chris,
Yes, you are right, the Education Dept is different to the Dept of Geography.
Glad to read you have good memories of KCL.
Best wishes,
Alumni Communications
I studied Historical Geography with David Green and I still do look up! Brilliant course.
I got so much from my PhD studies in Geography 1998-2002. My first university teaching experience – delivering the first year undergraduate tutorials. All before LinkedIn so no idea but curious where they are now. Also the lovely masters group of MA geographers I attended classes with in research methods. My PhD topic on sustainability and housing is as relevant as ever. So much seems to have changed in that time but in other ways so little. I feel very fortunate to have had that opportunity to research, read and think.