Allen Hall (University of Manchester)
Allen Hall is the smallest of the undergraduate student halls of residence which constitute the University of Manchester's Fallowfield Campus, with just 120 students.
Allen Hall comprises three accommodation blocks: Newman, Teilhard, and More - centred around the main building where the office, common room, bar and laundrette are located. The hall is located approximately half a mile from the main Fallowfield campus, and is positioned opposite Platt Fields Park.
2011 will see the official 50th anniversary of Allen Hall. A celebratory event is currently being planned for September 2011. In addition, it is hoped that 2011 will see the launch of the first official Allen Hall Alumni Association. Further information will be available in early 2011.
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 Jesus. His deputy, Dermot Preston SJ, was also a former Allen Hall resident. 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.
Today, Allen Hall is twinned with Woolton Hall, a similar but slightly larger hall in the centre of the Fallowfield Campus. The two halls hold joint social events throughout the year culminating in the Spring Ball in May - a tradition which began in 2008.
JCR Presidents
- 2010/2011 - Christian James Slater - (Currently up for impeachment)
- 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
- 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 hall for parties and activities. The hall caters for students, mornings and evenings, Monday to Friday, although each floor of rooms has its own kitchen, which can be used freely by students to cook whenever they desire.
Allen Hall Bar
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. Allen Hall Bar is recognized across campus as having the highest usage rate amongst its student population.
The 2008–2009 academic year saw a dramatic renovation of the bar. There were extensive improvements made to both its aesthetics and its facilities. It now features a 37-inch LCD television, Nintendo Wii, large sofas, and a new table football machine. Also introduced was a cocktail menu featuring 74 cocktails.
The bar hosts a variety of popular events throughout the year but is probably most infamous for its 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's Hospital in Withington. The record was challenged and broken in Portland, Oregon on 22 July 2007.1 A further challenge appears to have been undertaken recently in Hull2 and another attempt is planned as part of the Manchester Pride festival.3
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, the Catholic Children's Rescue Society and the BBC's Children In Need.
Children on the Crossing
Each year residents of Allen Hall stage a Children in Need fundraiser by attempting to stop traffic on adjacent Wilmslow Road, requesting donations from passing vehicles and pedestrians. It has become such a well-known event that many drivers come ready with their money in hand. On average, between £1000-£2000 is raised each year on a single morning. The fire alarm is set off promptly at 7am to signal the start of the event and students typically participate in their nighttime wear.