New Hall (St Andrews)
Encyclopedia
New Hall is the largest single-building Hall of Residence owned by the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...

. It was opened in 1993 and is located in the town of St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....

, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...

, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. It has 519 bedrooms, of which 25 are shared. All are en-suite. Currently it is the only Hall in St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....

 to accommodate both catered and self-catered students, although the catered students are in a significant majority.

Naming

The name 'New Hall' was initially intended to be purely a temporary one. As the hall was opened at a time when the university had just celebrated the centenary of women's admission, it was mooted that the hall would be named for Elizabeth Garrett Anderson as one of the most famous women to attend the university. A mass meeting of the hall's residents was held to discuss the matter, and gather suggestions for the hall's permanent name. However, no name was ever decided upon by the university authorities, and it remained 'New Hall' by default.

Architecture

New Hall is laid out in a series of blocks overlooking quads. The hall interior is quite attractive, with stainless steel columns and glass ceilings in the foyer.

Location

New Hall is located on the North Haugh area of St Andrews, the only part of the University or town that could realistically be described as 'campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...

'. It overlooks a large grass area, with flats used for playing football or rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...

. The field is at its best in spring and summer when the sun is shining and the daffodils are out. It is a 15 minute walk from town.

The North Haugh is shared by some parts of the Faculty of Science, including the Purdie Building, the Biochemistry Building and the Mathematics Dept, the new Medical School, as well as Andrew Melville Hall
Andrew Melville Hall
Andrew Melville Hall is a student hall of residence of the University of St Andrews, Scotland.It is named after Andrew Melville, a 16th-century Scottish scholar, theologian and religious reformer who was a graduate of the University, and who later became its rector and dean of...

, another University residence. Past Andrew Melville Hall
Andrew Melville Hall
Andrew Melville Hall is a student hall of residence of the University of St Andrews, Scotland.It is named after Andrew Melville, a 16th-century Scottish scholar, theologian and religious reformer who was a graduate of the University, and who later became its rector and dean of...

 there is an unnamed lake, which is inhabited by swans and ducks.

Catering

The Dining Room in New Hall is large, modern, and relaxed. Catered students eat three meals a day here on weekdays, and two meals a day at the weekends. Evening meals at the weekends are not included, so for these students are expected to make or buy food elsewhere. Each room in New Hall has a kitchen assigned to it, so there is somewhere to cook at the weekend. Kitchens are also available throughout the week. During the week, breakfast is served from 8-9am, lunch is noon-1.30pm, and dinner is 5.45-7.00pm. At the weekends, breakfast is 8.30-9.30pm and lunch is 12.30-1.15pm. Students can come in and out of the dining room at any point during the opening hours, and it’s also possible to arrange packed lunch
Packed lunch
thumb|A typical American bagged lunchthumb|[[Bento]] packed lunchA packed lunch is a lunch prepared at home and carried to be eaten somewhere else, such as school, a workplace, or at an outing...

es or dinners if necessary.

As of the 2011/2012 session New Hall will no longer be a catered hall, offering only self-catered accommodation contracts.

Facilities

New Hall has its own café, which is open from 8.30am until 2.30pm every day. The café also serves as the main social area of New Hall, with a widescreen TV (equipped with a DVD player and a full Sky subscription) and newspapers that are delivered daily. There are additional seating areas in the foyer, where there are also payphones (which work internationally). In the same area there is a laundry room, which has several machines working on a coin-operated basis. There is also a games room, which currently has facilities for pool, table tennis, table football and darts, as well as a bookcase full of books, videos and board games. Adjacent to the games room is the music office, which is a small soundproof room for musically-inclined residents to practice in, which comes equipped with an electric piano, a drumkit, and other miscellaneous equipment. In addition, there are also a few study rooms, and a computer room on the second floor.

Influence of William Wales

When Prince William, Duke of Cambridge first announced that he intended to attend the University, applications to study at St Andrews almost tripled. Many of New Hall's bedrooms were converted to accommodate more students, including the installation of bunk beds in single rooms and converting study rooms into additional bedrooms.

As pressure for space eased, the bunk beds were replaced with double-beds and single rooms are no longer shared, though the converted study rooms are still in use.

As a hotel

New Hall is a 3-star hotel during the summer months, catering for parents and graduands during graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...

, golfers and other tourists. The few shared rooms are marketed as 'family rooms'. It boasts a 'Green Tourism' award for its sustainable practices.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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