Its pretty flash Harry. It looks especially nice because of the MIRACULOUS warm, sunny weather. This weather is so uncommon at this time of year that people at still pulling on their woolly vests in the belief that it is a mirage or some sort of CGI trick. The dome at the top is actually the centre of the main library, which is also pretty flash. There are no power points, but it looks like something out of Harry Potter.
UCL was founded under the princpals of Jeremey Bentham, who espoused that education should be open to all, regardless of ethnicity or religious beliefs (having a female contingent was something that rose to popularity a little later). And since, at the time, you could only attend uni (Oxford or Cambridge) if you were Church of England, this meant that a lot of people were driven from the steps of higher education. And so UCL found its niche - delivering education to the godless. This, plus UCL's location, is also how the UCL students got their nickname - The Godless Scum of Gower St.
In consequence of his role in the creation of UCL (although he only provided the philosophy, not any practical assistance), Jeremy Bentham is held in god-like esteem. Here he is:
And when I say "this is Jeremy Bentham", I really mean it. This is his body, preserved and on display in the South Cloisters at UCL. Thats not his real head. The real head was placed in box and is kept underneath this display after it fell off and was later stolen by UCL's arch rivals Kings College London. You don't get history like that back home!
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