Harris Manchester College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, has a long and distinctive history. It was founded in 1786 as the Manchester Academy, a dissenting institution established to provide higher education to those excluded from traditional universities due to religious restrictions. Over the next century it moved several times — from Manchester to York, back to Manchester, then to London — before finally settling in Oxford in the late 1800s. The college later became part of the University of Oxford: it was recognised as a Permanent Private Hall in 1990 and was granted a Royal Charter as a full Oxford college in 1996, at which point it adopted the name Harris Manchester College in honour of its benefactor Lord Harris of Peckham. Today it is unique among Oxford colleges for admitting only mature students aged 21 and over, continuing a tradition of inclusivity and lifelong learning.