St Salvator's Hall
Encyclopedia
St Salvator's Hall, affectionately known as Sallies, is a student hall of residence at 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 lies close to the quadrangle of the United College, St Andrews
United College, St Andrews
The United College is one of the two statutory colleges of the University of St Andrews in St Andrews, Scotland...

 and St Salvator's Chapel
St Salvator's Chapel
St Salvator's Chapel is one of two collegiate chapels belonging to the University of St Andrews, the other being St Leonard's Chapel. It was founded in 1450, built in the Late Gothic architectural style, and refurbished in the 1680s, 1860s and throughout the 20th century...

 in a quiet area between North Street and The Scores. Regarded as one of the University's most prestigious residences, it boasts numerous self-contained traditions. Architecturally, it has been described as a "rambling Gothic dormitory".

History

In the 1920s the vice-chancellor of 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...

, Sir James Irvine made plans to extend university buildings and St Salvator's Hall was one of the first outcomes of this vision. The hall, originally a male-only residence, was built between 1930 and 1933, funded by the American Philanthropist, Edward Harkness
Edward Harkness
Edward Stephen Harkness was an American philanthropist. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, one of four sons to Stephen V. Harkness, a harness-maker who invested in the forerunner of Standard Oil, John D. Rockefeller's oil company. Harkness inherited a fortune from his father...

 and modelled on Oxbridge
Oxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...

 colleges. The architects were Mills & Shepherd who had previously built University Hall. It was extended between 1937 and 1939 to the cost of £40,000, and underwent a £1.7 million refurbishment in 1994. Since 1971 the building and its sundial have been listed as Grade B by Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.-Role:As its website states:...

. The stained glass windows, designed by William Wilson, and paintings in its oak-panelled dining room feature associates and benefactors of 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...

 such as David Beaton
David Beaton
The Most Rev. Dr. David Cardinal Beaton was Archbishop of St Andrews and the last Scottish Cardinal prior to the Reformation.-Career:...

, James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman and soldier, who initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequently supported King Charles I as the English Civil War developed...

 and Edward Harkness
Edward Harkness
Edward Stephen Harkness was an American philanthropist. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, one of four sons to Stephen V. Harkness, a harness-maker who invested in the forerunner of Standard Oil, John D. Rockefeller's oil company. Harkness inherited a fortune from his father...

.
  • On 15 January 1945 many students at the hall became ill after consuming meat from a local butcher contaminated with Arsenic trioxide
    Arsenic trioxide
    Arsenic trioxide is the inorganic compound with the formula As2O3. This commercially important oxide of arsenic is the main precursor to other arsenic compounds, including organoarsenic compounds. Approximately 50,000 tonnes are produced annually...

    . Ninety of the 100 men who sat down to lunch were sick with flux.

Facilities

There are 58 single rooms and 61 shared rooms. In total it houses 180 students. As well as several rooms downstairs the hall has three floors: A, B and C; and a further wing known as D block which was the former servants quarters. Until recently residents of D block were unable to access the main building without going outside, however, a hallway extension was recently built, allowing interior access. Downstairs there is an oak-panelled Common Room with a Grand Piano and newspapers and magazines provided for the use of students. On the last Sunday of each semester afternoon tea is hosted by the wardens. It is filled with photographs of students from the 1930s to the present day.

At the west wing of the building there is a small library and a study room. A computer room with pigeon holes for residents' post is also situated on the ground floor which residents need their room key to access. In the west basement there is a snooker table, a dart board, table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...

 and laundry facilities. It is the setting for movie nights organised by the House Committee. The basement was refurbished in the summer of 2009, aided by a generous bequest.

The student bedrooms are spread on three floors above. In the early years each bedroom was provided with a fireplace but now they come with a desk, a wardrobe (sometimes built-in), a bookcase and a wash hand basin. There are pantries and bathrooms on each floor. Each room offers stunning views of either St Andrews Bay or the edge of the United College Quadrangle and the front lawn. The D-Block extension houses some students and is connected to the main building by a corridor.

Students are catered for 19 meals during the week; all except weekend dinners. Two courses are offered at lunchtime and three courses at dinner. On Saturdays there is a Continental Breakfast.

The House Committee, headed by Senior Student Naomi McIntyre, meets weekly in the Common Room. The current Wardens are Malcolm and Naomi McLeod and the Residence Manager is Ms. Moira McHugh.

It is used as conference venue during the summer.

Reputation and Traditions

St Salvator's Hall is acknowledged by students to be one of the most prestigious residences in St Andrews and one with its own distinct traditions. A 1965 Guide book
Guide book
A guide book is a book for tourists or travelers that provides details about a geographic location, tourist destination, or itinerary. It is the written equivalent of a tour guide...

 described it as "one of the finest students' residences in Britain".

Formal Dinners

A High Table
High Table
At Oxford, Cambridge and Durham colleges — and other, similarly traditional and prestigious UK academic institutions At Oxford, Cambridge and Durham colleges — and other, similarly traditional and prestigious UK academic institutions At Oxford, Cambridge and Durham colleges — and other, similarly...

 takes place on Thursdays during term time; in which resident guests sit with the Senior Student, the Wardennial Team and a guest (usually an academic) from outside of the hall; afterwards proceeding to the Byre Theatre
Byre Theatre
The Byre Theatre is a theatre in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. The original Byre Theatre was founded in 1933 by Alexander B Paterson, a local journalist and playwright, with help from a theatre group made up from members of Hope Park Church, St Andrews....

 for drinks. At each dinner students dress formally and wear their undergraduate gowns. Latin grace is said by the Warden and all stand before the meal is served. For the Christmas formal dinner all of the House Committee sit on the High Table then mulled wine
Mulled wine
Mulled wine, variations of which are popular in Europe, is wine, usually red, combined with spices and typically served warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas and Halloween.-Glühwein:...

 and Christmas carols are enjoyed in the Common Room by all the students. At the end of the academic year a dinner for graduating students (Valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...

s) is held followed by wine and a speech from the incumbent Senior Student.

Annual Events

Freshers' Week is organised by the hall committee and includes several events designed to integrate new students into life at the university. The ball is held at the beginning of the second semester and is organised by the Ball Conveners on the House Committee. Before final exams "Sallies Day" is celebrated on the front lawn where students picnic and drink Pimm's
Pimm's
Pimm's is a brand of fruit cups, but may also be considered a liqueur. It was first produced in 1823 by James Pimm and owned by Diageo since 2006. Its most popular product is Pimm's No. 1 Cup.-History:...

. The hall is well positioned for the annual May Dip and May Ball.

Notable People associated with St Salvator's

  • Walter Ledermann, a respected Mathematician
    Mathematician
    A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....

     who died on 22 May 2009 lived in the hall as an undergraduate. He came on a scholarship designed by the university to help those persecuted in Nazi Germany
    Nazi Germany
    Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...

    .
  • In 1945, Sir D'arcy Wentworth Thompson
    D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson
    Sir D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson CB FRS FRSE was a Scottish biologist, mathematician, and classics scholar. A pioneering mathematical biologist, he is mainly remembered as the author of the 1917 book On Growth and Form, written largely in Dundee in 1915...

    , winner of the Darwin Medal
    Darwin Medal
    The Darwin Medal is awarded by the Royal Society every alternate year for "work of acknowledged distinction in the broad area of biology in which Charles Darwin worked, notably in evolution, population biology, organismal biology and biological diversity". First awarded in 1890, it was created in...

     was in the hall at a dinner held in his honour. During the Second World War when a whale had been washed ashore, he took a cleaver from the hall kitchen, went down to the bay and cut a large steak from it which was enjoyed by the students that evening.
  • James W. Black
    James W. Black
    Sir James Whyte Black, OM, FRS, FRSE, FRCP was a Scottish doctor and pharmacologist. He spent his career both as researcher and as an academic at several universities. Black established the physiology department at the University of Glasgow, where he became interested in the effects of adrenaline...

    , recipient of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1988, lived in St Salvator's Hall during his undergraduate years.
  • The mascot of 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...

     Charities Committee, Rory McLion was "born in the basement of St Salvator's Hall in October 1977"
  • The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (then Prince William and Catherine Middleton) lived there during their time at the university. Middleton was rumored to have lived in room A34 during her time at Sallies.

External links

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