A beaver's tale: 130 years of campus, culture and conservation

“Needless to point out the appropriateness to the School of Economics of an animal of such social habits, so constructive and gifted, with such foresight as is the beaver.” – William Beveridge, 1922

Look around the hidden corners of our campus and you’ll start to notice the presence of a furry creature with formidable incisors and a paddle-like tail. Just how did a beaver become LSE’s iconic animal emblem?

From the School crest and the SU newspaper to a capering mascot at Welcome and Graduation, LSE’s beaver is intertwined with our history and continues to drive our community spirit.

As we celebrate LSE’s 130th anniversary, this exhibition takes you through LSE’s archives to tell our beaver’s tale, from first appearances to our continued partnership with local projects to conserve beaver populations in London for future generations.

Learn about how our mascot was chosen, browse archival copies of The Beaver newspaper, and explore how we’re continuing to partner with local projects to conserve beaver populations in London for future generations.

More about this exhibition

A beaver's tale: 130 years of campus, culture and conservation is curated by Olivia Broome (LSE Communications), Clara Rawlings (LSE Communications), Beatrice Clementel (LSE Sustainability), Hannah Liu (LSE Arts), and Lucas Ngai (The Beaver) in association with LSE Arts.

Hashtag for this event: #LSE130

Any questions?

You can contact us at arts@lse.ac.uk.

About the contributors

Founded in 1949, The Beaver functions as the official newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union. The team — spread across news-focused Frontside, disarmingly creative Flipside, and tongue-in-cheek Beaver Sound — consists of casual contributors, staff writers, editors, illustrators, photographers, podcasters, and more. The Beaver has a long history of substantive news coverage and insightful commentary.

The Ealing Beaver Project was born out of a vision to reintroduce beavers to an urban setting, enhancing biodiversity and engaging the community in wildlife conservation. Their mission is to create a sustainable environment where humans and beavers can thrive together, enriching the local ecosystem.

About the curators

Olivia Broome is the Social Media Manager in LSE’s Communications Division. She is an award-winning communications professional with degrees in art and journalism. Olivia is the author of Brutalist Plants and curates an Instagram account of the same name.

Clara Rawlings manages student communications projects at LSE and is a doctoral researcher at Birkbeck, University of London. Her research interests include embodiment in premodern literature and museum cultures and practices. She has developed interpretation for exhibitions at LSE and the Natural History Museum.

Beatrice Clementel is part of LSE Sustainability team, organising comms and events for both staff and students. She has a MSc degree in International Development and Sustainability and is passionate about topics such as biodiversity and conservation.

Hannah Liu is a Master of Public Administration student at LSE and the Arts Assistant for LSE Arts. Through LSE Arts, she coordinates music and arts activities on campus, including LSE’s open mic night, gallery exhibitions, and the LSE Photo Prize. Learn more about LSE Arts here.

Lucas is a final year undergraduate History student at LSE. Throughout his university years, he has become intimately involved with The Beaver, first as a contributing writer, then as Opinion editor, and now as Managing Editor.

From time to time there are changes to event details so we strongly recommend that if you plan to attend this exhibition you check back on this listing before visiting.

LSE holds a wide range of events, covering many of the most controversial issues of the day, and speakers at our events may express views that cause offence. The views expressed by speakers at LSE events do not reflect the position or views of the London School of Economics and Political Science.