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'''Commonwealth Hall''' was one of eight intercollegiate halls of the [[University of London]], opened in the 1960s and was situated in [[Cartwright Gardens]], London, between [[Bloomsbury]] and [[Euston Road]]. Latterly, it became part of the [[Garden Halls]], with Canterbury, and [[Hughes Parry Hall, London|Hughes Parry Hall]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/accommodation/residences/intercollegiate|title=University of London Intercollegiate Halls|publisher=University College London|accessdate=2010-11-07|archive-date=2006-09-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060908150905/http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/accommodation/residences/intercollegiate|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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{{Unreferenced|date=Jan 2009}} |
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'''Commonwealth Halll''' is one of eight intercollegiate halls of the [[University of London]]. |
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The Hall is administered by a bursarial team that resides in Hughes Parry Hall. Pastoral and disciplinary matters are administered by a team headed up by the Warden. Fiona Elder retains responsibility as Bursar for Commonwealth and for the other halls in Cartwright Gardens as well as Connaught Hall. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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The hall was opened with the aid of a gift of £250,000 from the [[Wolfson Foundation]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lse.ac.uk/lifeAtLSE/accommodation/forStudents/uol/commonwealthHall/commonwealthHallHomePage.aspx |title=Commonwealth Hall - Commonwealth Hall (Closed June 2014 to September 2016) - University of London intercollegiate residences - Student accommodation - Accommodation - Life at LSE - Home |access-date=2015-02-21 |archive-date=2015-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221183812/http://www.lse.ac.uk/lifeAtLSE/accommodation/forStudents/uol/commonwealthHall/commonwealthHallHomePage.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was named after Samuel Commonwealth, a [[University College London|UCL]] architecture student, who designed the building.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.universityrooms.com/en/city/london/hall/commonwealthhall|title = Bookings for everyone}}</ref> |
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A competition to design the cheapest and most uninspiring accommodation was created to show how bad university accommodation could be by the UCL architecture department. The winning design was [[Jack Sheldrake]]’s in 1947. [[Samuel Commonwealth]], another UCL student stole the design and took them to the University of London and proposed to build these halls. The University accepted the plans and building work began in 1951. [[Jack Sheldrake]] now a vet, never received official credit for the designs of the halls, but in 1967 received the [[Nobel Prize]] for services to pigs.<br/><br/> |
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The hall is built over the London Underground, on top of the Piccadilly line and in 1952 work was suspended indefinitely due to digging into the tunnel. Unhappy slave workers are rumoured to have tried to use the underground as an escape route, but ended up collapsing the tunnel. The Piccadilly line was rendered unusable for the next 3 months. A legal battle pursued in which the University of London was fined for using unqualified Law students from Kings College London as their representative. Shockingly however, the Kings students won the case, although rumours still circulate that the judge, who was himself from KCL, was completely drunk.<br/><br/> |
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Work on the hall finished in 1953 in time for the next academic year. The hall was opened by [[Samuel Commonwealth]] in a ceremony where [[Jack Sheldrake]], angry at the theft of his plans, was arrested but later released. |
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==Facilities== |
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With 450 residents, the hall is primarily intended for undergraduate students; however there are some older students, commonly known as ‘Dragons’. <br/><br/> |
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Floors are mixed and bathroom facilities are shared. The ground floor is all male due to their rapist stopping capability and the well known fact that rapists can’t climb stairs.<br/><br/> |
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The communal kitchens have kettles and fridges however students are restricted to just these due to the Great Geese Fire of Commonwealth Hall (See below).<br/><br/> |
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The hall provides both breakfast and evening meals, and there are tennis courts in the garden outside. |
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The Hall originally accommodated 400 male students in individual rooms plus a small number of dual occupancy rooms with separate bedrooms, although this was later increased by converting the originally shared study rooms into dual bedrooms. It also accommodated a number of live-in staff in individual rooms and flats. In 1985, it started admitting women too and became a mixed hall. |
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==The Great Geese Fire of Commonwealth Hall== |
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The disappointing facilities of the hall were further reduced in 2009 when a student from Kings, angry at the large geese infestation, maliciously burnt down a kitchen on the 4th floor. This resulted in massive structural damage and 6 unfortunate deaths, including an illegally squatting cat. The death toll believed to be 7 but later reduced to 6 when it turned out one of the deceased was in fact a blow up doll named Phillipa. In line with the recent trend at [[UCL]], started at [[KoKo]] in fresher week, 5 of the 7 (including Phillipa) were UCL students.<br/><br/> |
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After this event all poultry were culled by government officials when angry parents started a [[Facebook]] group against the hall entitled ‘Get Gander Gone’. The [[Daily Mail]] added to fury when they printed an article entitled ‘Geese: taking our jobs and causing cancer.’ Toasters and other small kitchen appliances were also banned.<br/><br/> |
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The believed arsonist was released in early 2010 after a lack of evidence came to trial. |
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==Miscellanea== |
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In a rash move in 1992 the hall banned trousers requiring all students to collect meals in shorts or boxers. The resulting hunger strike again lost the [[University of London]] credibility and there were several high profile firings from highly paid volunteer posts. |
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[[Tightropes]] were banned in 2005 in all gardens halls when one student attempted to tightrope walk between Commonwealth and [[Hughes Parry Hall]]. This incident was incorrectly reported as a failed abseiling attempt. Students are now required to obtain a note from their college if they require rope of length over 20 metres in the hall. This inevitably led the hall to inadvertently banning tug of war contests which were common place in corridors in the 1970s, before the internet was commercially available. |
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==Alumni== |
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[[Cilla Black]] famed for her hosting of [[Blind Date]]. Black, who studied at [[SOAS]] ran speed dating sessions during dinner times, and referenced the book several times in her autobiography.<br/><br/> |
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[[Thomas Edison]]<br/><br/> |
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[[James Volvic]] famed for the invention of bottled water.<br/><br/> |
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[[Sirius Black]], [[Cillia Black]]’s brother avoided [[Voldemort]] for several years by living as a pet dog to doorman Joe. This resulted in several [[dementor]] spottings throughout the hall, and the resulting depression is said to be what caused the hall to ban trousers in an attempt to raise male moral. |
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==External links== |
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*[http://www.london.ac.uk/225.html Official website] |
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The hall contained a large kitchen and [[refectory]] in the basement, providing breakfast and dinner for all residents, plus lunch at weekends. Other facilities available at various periods during the life of the hall were a pair of squash courts, a billiards room, a music practice room, a large reading room and library, a photographic darkroom, and a licensed bar run by the students. |
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The Hall was used outside the university term time for holiday and conference accommodation. |
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Commonwealth Hall finally closed in June 2014. |
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==Demolition and Redevelopment== |
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Planning permission for redevelopment of all three garden halls was granted in September 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cartwrightgardens-clg.com/ |title=Home |website=cartwrightgardens-clg.com}}</ref> In 2014, demolition started.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.marchmontassociation.org.uk/news-article.asp?ID=195 |title=Cartwight Gardens Student Halls by rdef |accessdate=2015-02-21 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20150221162713/http://www.marchmontassociation.org.uk/news-article.asp?ID=195 |archivedate=2015-02-21 }}</ref> |
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The new Garden Hall replaced the existing garden halls buildings, and provides 900 single student rooms. The older Hughes Parry Hall tower was not demolished and continues to provide 300 single student rooms, making a total of 1200 rooms. Staff accommodation is spread across the new building.<ref>http://www.cartwrightgardens-clg.com/docs/UoL-Cartwright-Gardens-Community-Liaison-Meeting-20-01-20-15-draft.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref> |
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{{University of London}} |
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{{coord|51.5267|-0.1262|region:GB_type:landmark|display=title}} |
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[[Category:University of London intercollegiate halls of residence]] |
[[Category:University of London intercollegiate halls of residence]] |
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Latest revision as of 13:10, 12 March 2024
Commonwealth Hall was one of eight intercollegiate halls of the University of London, opened in the 1960s and was situated in Cartwright Gardens, London, between Bloomsbury and Euston Road. Latterly, it became part of the Garden Halls, with Canterbury, and Hughes Parry Hall.[1]
History
[edit]The hall was opened with the aid of a gift of £250,000 from the Wolfson Foundation.[2] It was named after Samuel Commonwealth, a UCL architecture student, who designed the building.[3]
The Hall originally accommodated 400 male students in individual rooms plus a small number of dual occupancy rooms with separate bedrooms, although this was later increased by converting the originally shared study rooms into dual bedrooms. It also accommodated a number of live-in staff in individual rooms and flats. In 1985, it started admitting women too and became a mixed hall.
The hall contained a large kitchen and refectory in the basement, providing breakfast and dinner for all residents, plus lunch at weekends. Other facilities available at various periods during the life of the hall were a pair of squash courts, a billiards room, a music practice room, a large reading room and library, a photographic darkroom, and a licensed bar run by the students.
The Hall was used outside the university term time for holiday and conference accommodation.
Commonwealth Hall finally closed in June 2014.
Demolition and Redevelopment
[edit]Planning permission for redevelopment of all three garden halls was granted in September 2013.[4] In 2014, demolition started.[5]
The new Garden Hall replaced the existing garden halls buildings, and provides 900 single student rooms. The older Hughes Parry Hall tower was not demolished and continues to provide 300 single student rooms, making a total of 1200 rooms. Staff accommodation is spread across the new building.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "University of London Intercollegiate Halls". University College London. Archived from the original on 8 September 2006. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
- ^ "Commonwealth Hall - Commonwealth Hall (Closed June 2014 to September 2016) - University of London intercollegiate residences - Student accommodation - Accommodation - Life at LSE - Home". Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- ^ "Bookings for everyone".
- ^ "Home". cartwrightgardens-clg.com.
- ^ "Cartwight Gardens Student Halls by rdef". Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- ^ http://www.cartwrightgardens-clg.com/docs/UoL-Cartwright-Gardens-Community-Liaison-Meeting-20-01-20-15-draft.pdf [bare URL PDF]
51°31′36″N 0°07′34″W / 51.5267°N 0.1262°W
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