Celebrating 120 Years

A montage of images from throughout Falmouth University's 120 year history. All images have a blue overlay and the Falmouth University 120 logo. 

In 1902 Falmouth School of Art opened as an evolution of The Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society, which aimed to 'promote the useful and fine arts, to encourage industry and to elicit the ingenuity of a community distinguished for its mechanical skill.’ 

The School started as we mean to go on - harnessing creativity to forge the future of industry. To celebrate this anniversary, we delved into the archives and quizzed our community to unearth the stories that have shaped us.

Our timeline: The moments that made us

Journey through our timeline to discover the moments that made us; from the inception of Falmouth School of Art in 1902 and the installation of our Chancellor Dawn French in 2015, to welcoming our new Vice-Chancellor Professor Emma Hunt in 2022 (and the triumphs and challenges faced along the way). 

Prospectus
Prospectus

The evolution of our prospectus


Explore how our prospectus front page has developed from the mid 1900s to the present day, and hear from the people that help bring them to life. 

View story

Stories from our community

In 2022, we quizzed former and current students, staff and friends of the University about their experience at Falmouth and what it meant to them. Read about the careers launched and connections made, below. 

All stories

A student playing pool
Anya and Ella

Fine Art duo subverts the Gentlemen’s Club | Degree Show Stories

13 July 2026

BA(Hons) Fine Art final-year students Anya Palmer and Ella Pawlak tackled gender assumptions in thei...

Fine Art duo subverts the Gentlemen’s Club | Degree Show Stories
Tabby Winchester
Tabby Winchester

Costume Design student gains experience working behind the scenes as theatre wardrobe assistant

13 July 2026

For BA(Hons) Costume Design for Film & Television student Tabby Winchester, taking part in two indus...

Costume Design student gains experience working behind the scenes as theatre wardrobe assistant

Fashion Photography student on translating personal meaning into imagery

10 July 2026

When Laurie Wignall first heard about Falmouth’s BA(Hons) Fashion Photography course, the decision...

Fashion Photography student on translating personal meaning into imagery
New Designers
New Designers

Textile Design graduands gain industry praise at leading creative talent showcase New Designers

07 July 2026

Last week graduands from across Falmouth’s BA(Hons) Textile Design, BA(Hons) Illustration and BA(H...

Textile Design graduands gain industry praise at leading creative talent showcase New Designers
A student in the lab

A microscopic breakthrough in Marine & Natural History Photography | Degree Show Stories

06 July 2026

BA(Hons) Marine & Natural History Photography final-year student Aryah Nagarajan has made a microsco...

A microscopic breakthrough in Marine & Natural History Photography | Degree Show Stories
Max English
Max English

Editorial Photography student wins Nikon Student Photographer of the Year

02 July 2026

Second-year BA(Hons) Documentary & Editorial Photography student Max English has been awarded Nikon ...

Editorial Photography student wins Nikon Student Photographer of the Year

Championing representation in Fashion Styling & Art Direction | Degree Show Stories

02 July 2026

Students in Falmouth’s Fashion & Textiles Institute are supported to take ownership of the directi...

Championing representation in Fashion Styling & Art Direction | Degree Show Stories
Ted Giffords
Ted Giffords

BAFTA-winning Marine Photography lecturer on working with Sir David Attenborough

30 June 2026

From working on various BBC landmark series such as Planet Earth and Frozen Planet to being part of ...

BAFTA-winning Marine Photography lecturer on working with Sir David Attenborough
chris jones
Chris Jones

Journalism graduate builds award-winning podcast career

29 June 2026

Since graduating from Falmouth, journalism graduate Chris Jones has worked across US politics, podca...

Journalism graduate builds award-winning podcast career
A student filmmaker
Luca Degree Show Story

Why this Film student chose a 16mm camera for his final project | Degree Show Stories

29 June 2026

For BA(Hons) Film final year student Luca Vasile-Berde, working with 16mm film for the first time at...

Why this Film student chose a 16mm camera for his final project | Degree Show Stories

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Falmouth student singing into microphone and playing keyboard.