Almost exactly a century ago, a powerful plea for Brighton to have its own university was made at a mayoral banquet.

Distinguished architect Charles Clayton gave a compelling case for it on November 9, 1911, but it took another 50 years for his vision to become a reality.

The University of Sussex received its royal charter in 1961 and John Fulton, the first vice chancellor, remarked at the time that the gestation period had been unusually long.

It was the first of seven new universities planned for the provinces in the late 1950s – then the greatest single expansion of higher education England has ever known.

The Government granted the money but most people agreed that locally Brighton Council’s education director Dr William Stone was the man who pushed the project through. Later he was deservedly awarded an honorary degree.

A parkland site was reserved for the enterprise near Falmer north of Brighton and a period of intensive planning gave Sussex the best possible start.

John (later Lord) Fulton was a well-known academic seemingly destined to become Master of Balliol College, Oxford.

But as Professor Fred Gray says in a new book to mark 50 years of the University of Sussex: “Instead he chose the challenge of creating a modern university.”

Fulton formed a crucial partnership with Asa Briggs, the second vice chancellor who also later became a lord.

They combined the traditions of Oxbridge with brand new thinking such as the development of multi- subject courses and schools of study. It was Balliol by the sea with red brick and plate glass.

Determined to create the best possible landscape and architecture, the founding fathers employed Sir Basil Spence to design the campus with low-rise buildings and plenty of greenery.

The first undergraduates in 1961 studied at Preston Road while the campus buildings were being constructed. Since then more than 114,000 students have been awarded qualifications at Sussex.

Those early years saw the university develop a reputation for being really radical which often showed itself through political protest.

Many demonstrations were held against authority and the big issue of the late 1960s was the war in Vietnam.

Asa Briggs showed great skill in allowing a lot of protest without ever letting it get out of control.

At the same time, the University of Sussex also developed a reputation for academic excellence in aspects ranging from science to medicine.

It also grew far faster than anyone had expected, extending almost half a mile along a once sylvan valley off the Lewes Road.

The later architecture was not always up to the original high standard and the popularity of cars both for students and lecturers added an urban dimension to the campus.

Halls of residence had to be built to cope with Brighton’s severe housing problem and they made the university seem bulky.

The growth of the university was unstoppable. It soon became one of the leading employers in Brighton and injected millions of pounds into the local economy.

It had an effect on the town in other ways too, in particular when former students and lecturers joined the council, mainly on the Labour side.

* Making The Future: A History Of The University Of Sussex is edited by Fred Gray and published by the university. It costs £18 from John Smith’s bookshop in the campus library, rising to £25 after the official launch in November.