History Founder William John Beamont, a distinguished clergyman and author with a degree from Cambridge. Henry Acland and John Ruskin, with the latter being particularly important to the institution's development after its founding. William John Beamont established the Cambridge School of Art in 1858, which served as the foundation for Anglia Ruskin University. John Ruskin made the opening remarks (often incorrectly described as the founder; in fact he founded the Ruskin School of Drawing in Oxford).