aerial photograph of Keele University Staffordshire England UK, opened in 1949 it is the largest campus university in the UK The land it stands on was once owned by Henry II who gave it to the Knights Templars in 1080. When the Templars were abolished by the Council of Vienne in 1311, their land was taken over by the Knights Hospitallers until they too were abolished during the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII 1536 to 1541. Today the University has over 10,000 students, more than 800 staff and a budget of £148 million.