Allen Hall
Encyclopedia
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University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
's Fallowfield Campus
Fallowfield Campus
The Fallowfield Campus is the main residential campus of the University of Manchester. It is located in Fallowfield, Manchester, 2 miles south of the main university site, to which it is connected by Wilmslow Road and the A34.-History:...
, with just 120 students.
Allen Hall comprises three accommodation blocks: Newman, Teilhard, and More
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
- centred around the main building where the chapel, office, dinning room, television room, bar, laundrette and conference facilities are located. The hall is located approximately half a mile from the main Fallowfield campus, and is positioned opposite Platt Fields Park
Platt Fields Park
Platt Fields Park is a park off Wilmslow Road in Fallowfield, Manchester, England. It is home to Platt Hall, and was originally known as the Platt Estate or the Platt Hall Estate...
and Manchester High School for Girls
Manchester High School for Girls
Manchester High School for Girls is an independent daytime school for girls and a member of the Girls School Association. It is situated in Fallowfield, Manchester, United Kingdom...
.
The hall was opened in 1961 and September 2011 saw the 50th anniversary--celebrated with a weekend event. An Alumni Association was set up at this event which aims to keep former residents in contact with each other.
History
The hall was owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford until 1979, but was licensed by the University of Manchester and initially accepted only male undergraduate residents who were students of that university (or UMIST). The first female students were admitted in the 1995-96 academic year. There was no requirement that students had to be Catholic, but there was a large chapel on the first floor of the main block, where Mass was celebrated on Sundays by priests from the Catholic Chaplaincy, and the Catholic religion was an important feature of hall life. Former residents include Dave Smolira SJ (commonly known as 'FB') who was President of the JCR and later went on to become the Provincial of the English Province of the Society of JesusSociety of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
. His deputy, Dermot Preston SJ, was also a former Allen Hall resident and became the new Provincial of the (now) British Province of the Society of Jesus in 2011. The hall is named after Cardinal William Allen - who has the distinction of being the only Lancastrian to have been appointed Cardinal. The blocks - Newman, Teilhard and More - are named after prominent Catholics from history. During its time as a Catholic Hall, there was a strong - and some might say insular - culture and 'Platt Fields Awards' were given at the formal dinner at the end of each term to those residents who had not served the hall community sufficiently well in the eyes of the JCR Committee. The awards were given immediately after the dinner. This involved the unfortunate recipients being taken across to the nearby Platt Fields Boating Lake and thrown in.
JCR Presidents
- 2010/2011 - Christian James Slater
- 2009/2010 - Pierre Marion
- 2008/2009 - Sajeev Shanmuganandarajah
- 2007/2008 - Mark Kowalski
- 2006/2007 - Philip Wright-Christie
- 2005/2006 - Daniel Mills
- 2004/2005 - Adam Woolhead
- 2003/2004 - David Riggers
- 2002/2003 - Claire Buhr
- 2001/2002 - Claire Robins (First Female JCR President of Allen Hall)
- 2000/2001 - Dan Kirkpatrick
- 1995/1996 - Min Ho Lee
- 1991/1992 - Alasdair Leithead
- 1990/1991 - Peter Holden
- 1989/1990 - Sean McGovern
- 1989/1990 - John Foots
- 1988/1989 - Tim Gittins
- 1987/1988 - Mike Beattie
- 1986/1987 - James Bogues
- 1985/1986 - John Gilmore
- 1981/1982 - Denis Keegan
- 1978/1979 - Tom Byrne
- 1977/1978 - John Capper
- 1976/1977 - Dave Smolira (FB)
- 1975/1976 - John Smith
- 1974/1975 - Peter Murphy
- 1973/1974 - Philip O'Halloran
- 1972/1973 - Philip (P B) Maree
- 1971/1972 - Paul Spooner
Facilities
The hall has its own student-run bar, a lively common room, a music room and a large chapel which is now used for parties and activities. The hall provides Breakfast and an evening meal for students, Monday to Friday, although each floor of rooms has its own kitchen, which can be used freely by students to cook whenever they desire. Formal dinners are held once a month throughout ordinary term time where smart clothing is worn and a short speech delivered.Allen Hall Club
Being Fallowfield Campus's only student-run bar allows for much flexibility in the way it is run. Each year the student body elects a Bar Steward, Bar Secretary, and Bar Treasurer to oversee its operation and ensure its continuing success. Opening hours are from 8 pm to 11 pm every night of the week but are subject to change for special events. Bartending behind the bar is done on a completely voluntary basis with drink vouchers given to the students as compensation. This allows the bar to cater to the hall's relatively small population and keep prices down at the same time. It also provides the volunteers with invaluable bartending experience if they are looking for a part-time job elsewhere. The bar's stock is always rotating in different products and it is not uncommon for students to request their own favourites to be brought in.The 2008–2009 academic year saw a renovation of the bar. The bar was fully painded and improvements made to both its facilities: including the purhcase of a 37-inch LCD television, Nintendo Wii, large sofas, and a table football machine. Also introduced was a cocktail menu featuring 74 cocktails.
The bar hosts a variety of popular events throughout the year particularly the semi-annual "Price Crash". The event consists of a "stock-market" of drink prices fluctuating in real-time as drinks are sold. Prices are displayed on monitors for the students who then compete against each other in order to lock in low prices with the bartender before they rise again.
Charity events
On March 25, 2006 some 58 residents of the hall gathered to break the Guinness World Record for the 'Longest Line of Dancing Drag Queens.' The title had formerly been held by students of Nottingham University and stood at 49. The event raised approximately £600 for Christie HospitalChristie Hospital
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust is located in Withington, Manchester, and is one of the largest cancer treatment centres in Europe. The Christie became a NHS Foundation Trust in April 2007 and is also an international leader in cancer research and development, and home to the Paterson Institute...
in Withington
Withington
Withington is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies south of Manchester city centre, about south of Fallowfield, north-east of Didsbury, and east of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, near the centre-to-south edges of the Greater Manchester Urban Area; in the...
. The record has since been broken elsewhere.
Furthermore, Allen Hall raised more money for charitable causes than any other hall of residence in Manchester in 2005-6. Over £4,200 was donated to causes including the Pakistan Earthquake Appeal, Christie Hospital
Christie Hospital
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust is located in Withington, Manchester, and is one of the largest cancer treatment centres in Europe. The Christie became a NHS Foundation Trust in April 2007 and is also an international leader in cancer research and development, and home to the Paterson Institute...
, the Catholic Children's Rescue Society and the BBC's Children In Need.