1837
The Royal College of Art starts life as the Government School of Design.

1853
The small-scale School of Design is radically transformed into the Central Training School for Art.

1857
The institution moves to SW7, as part of the South Kensington Museum.

1863
Becomes the National Art Training School.

1896
The National Art Training School becomes the Royal College of Art, based on art and design practice.

1922
The Royal College of Art plays a major role in the birth of the modern school of British sculpture, with students including Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore.

1948
A new emphasis is placed on the teaching of product design and on the provision of highly specialised, professional instruction. New courses include graphic design, industrial design and fashion.

1962
All design and applied art courses move to the new Darwin Building in Kensington Gore – named after Robin Darwin, the College’s Principal from 1948 to 1967 and Rector from 1967 to 1971.

1967
The College is granted a Royal Charter, transforming it into an independent institution of university status with the power to grant its own degrees.

1984
A comprehensive programme of reconstruction, re-equipment and expansion is begun.

1992
HRH The Prince Philip opens the new Stevens Building in Kensington Gore – named after Jocelyn Stevens, the College’s Rector from 1984 to 1992 – marking the 25th anniversary of the Royal Charter.

1996
The exhibition 'Design of the Times' celebrates the story of design at the College.

The centenary of the Royal College of Art as the College we know today.

1998
The College scores 23 out of 24 in an in depth review of its education work conducted by the Quality Assurance Agency on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

1999
About two million people watch the six-part BBC documentary series ‘Royal College of Art’, exploring the life and ambitions of the College at the turn of the 20th century.

2000
Rector Christopher Frayling’s book ‘Art and Design: 100 Years at the Royal College of Art’ is published, celebrating the centenary of the formal establishment of the College in 1896.

2001
The publication ‘Designing the 21st Century’ features the work of one hundred of the most important contemporary designers from all over the world. Nearly half of the designers included are graduates of the College.

2001
With a generous grant of £3 million from the Helen Hamlyn Foundation, the future of the Helen Hamlyn Research Centre is secured, and with it, the College’s leading role in inclusive design.

2002
In research, the College achieves a score of 5 for art and design in the national Research Assessment Exercise, putting the RCA at the top of the league of specialist institutions in the UK.

The College receives a grant from the London Development Agency to establish an advanced rapid prototyping facility.

2002
The results of the latest survey of recent graduates is published, covering the years 1997 to 2001, and shows that 91% of RCA graduates are in employment, at the right level, in an area directly related to the discipline they studied at the College.

2007
Design London was launched to create an ‘innovation triangle’ between design (represented by the Royal College of Art), engineering and technology (represented by Imperial College Faculty of Engineering) and the business of innovation (represented by Imperial’s Tanaka Business School).

2008
The refurbishment of the Sculpture Building at Howie St was completed in time for students to host their annual Sculpture graduation show in the new space.

Ambitious plans to increase the College's physical space by some 50% through the development of a new site in Battersea, were unveiled.

2009
Dr Paul Thompson becomes Rector of the Royal College of Art.

The new Sackler Building designed by Haworth Tompkins, housing the Painting Department opens, and wins an RIBA Award for its architecture.

2010
Construction begins on the Dyson Building at Battersea, the new home for Photography and Printmaking when it is complete in 2012.

2011
Sir James Dyson succeeds Sir Terence Conran as Provost of the Royal College of Art.