University of Leicester building officially reopened as Kathleen Kenyon Building
Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Henrietta O'Connor opens the Kathleen Kenyon Building (Credit: RedPix)
After a decades-long campaign from staff and students, the home of the University of Leicester’s School of Archaeology and Ancient History and School of Museum Studies has been named after Dame Kathleen Kenyon.
The Kathleen Kenyon Building was officially opened at a naming ceremony on Friday, 7 March 2025 by Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Henrietta O’Connor.
A pioneer of archaeology, Dame Kathleen Kenyon has shaped modern methods of excavation is best known for her excavations of Jericho, which saw the city recognised as the oldest continuous settlement in history.
Closer to home, Dame Kenyon was a leading figure in the excavations of Leicester’s Jewry Wall, one of the tallest surviving sections of Roman masonry in Britain.
The naming of the Kathleen Kenyon Building originates in 2003, when the School of Archaeology and Ancient History first occupied the space.
Although Dame Kenyon was mentioned as a possible namesake of the building, it was deemed “too revolutionary” at the time.
On International Women’s Day in 2018, staff and students unofficially renamed the building after Kenyon by unveiling a homemade banner made from a bedsheet on the site.
A banner has been hung from the building each year since to mark International Women’s Day.
Dr Gabriella Micale, Curator of ancient Levant and Syria at The British Museum delivered a talk on Dame Kenyon’s work in Jericho, as some of the material is held by the museum.
Dr Alice Samson, Associate Professor at Archaeology at the University of Leicester also discussed the Kathleen Kenyon campaign.
Head of College for Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Professor Teela Sanders (left) and Dr Alice Samson (right) display the original Kathleen Kenyon Building Banner (Credit: RedPix)
At the event, Dr Samson said: “It’s been a privilege to revisit this story, to learn new things about Kathleen Kenyon, her inspirational life, and to celebrate her name — not just on a building but as part of an ongoing, dynamic legacy. As staff and students, we have built something special — a place that champions inclusivity, activism, and education for all. Together with Museum Studies, we can be proud of permanently associating our building after a transformational scholar, queer icon, pioneer, and educator. We can celebrate as Proud Citizens of Change.”
Professor Henrietta O’Connor said: “I want to say how proud I am that this first has occurred during my tenure as the first woman Provost of this University. Being first means we have added responsibility of being representative and being visible in order to be a role-model. It also marks how change is happening and, as we prepare to celebrate International Women’s Day tomorrow, we can reflect on how far we have come and how far we have yet to go.
“It is a fact that fewer than 10 universities in the UK out of over 140 are headed by women and, according to the economics observatory, only one in ten of the UK’s top businesses have a woman as chief executive.
“And that is why today is so important. Dame Kenyon defied the odds by her achievements and we are signalling to girls and women that they too can dare to aspire and that their dreams can come true.”
Great British Bake Off contestant and University of Leicester chemist, Dr Josh Smalley made a special cake to mark the event.
The University of Leicester welcomed representatives from Leicester City Council, Friends of the Jewry Wall Museum, British Institute for Libyan and North African Studies Archive.
The Kathleen Kenyon Building is the first academic building to be named after a woman at the University of Leicester.