Decreasing Circles, Sharper Triangles, Fewer Squares: Evolving the Academic Dress of the University of Sussex, 1963-2023

The determinedly modernist outlook of the University of Sussex impelled a radical reimagining of its academic dress. This article follows directly from the first partof the study, and concludes the vibrant history and complex gestation of Norman Hargreaves-Mawdsley’s colourful scheme, detailing the protracted debates concerning his designs, the installation of the chancellor, and the emergence of a completely new system of AD for the twenty-first century. For all researchers of the University’s history, The Keep, Brighton, is an indispensable archive. This investigation completes the exploration, sifting and analysis of its relevant holdings and extensive unpublished correspondence. Findings are supplemented by the papers of George Shaw in the archive of the Burgon Society, together with secondary literature, including photographs and press reports. Six appendices clarify the developing regulations, and showcase previously unseen designsfrom the archives of Ede & Ravenscroft.