Hood of the Month

BA, University of Liverpool

The BA hood of the University of Liverpool combines white fur or wool, lined with pink silk shot with ivory, described as apple blossom. Shot silks were fashionable in the 1900s and were also used in designs at the federal University of Wales. Liverpool was granted its Charter and began awarding degrees in its own name after July 1903. Prior to this, University College, Liverpool, had been one of three colleges in the federal Victoria University, along with Owens College, Manchester and Yorkshire College, Leeds. Victoria University hoods were in a simple shape with coloured bindings; pale blue for Arts and light red for Science. In 1903, the University of Liverpool became an early proponent of a faculty colour system for hoods, with apple blossom for Arts, slate blue for Science, lavender for Medicine, bronze for Law and orange for Engineering. Natural fur is no longer in common use at the University of Liverpool, where white wool or artificial fur is preferred.   Possibly from a desire to be different to Victoria University, the shape of Bachelors hoods adopted by the University of Liverpool, was the Edinburgh simple shape. Liverpool’s use of apple blossom for their BA hood is, to the author’s knowledge, unique amongst UK universities.

Further Reading: 

Gibson, W. and  Groves, N. ‘The Origins of the University of Wales Robes’, in  TBS vol 8 (2008)

Lowe, P. ‘The Origins and Development of Academical Dress at the Victoria University of Manchester’, in TBS vol 1 (2001)

Timothy Hallett FBS (with thanks to Philip Lowe FBS)

Photograph courtesy of the author

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