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Coordinates: 53°26′40″N 2°12′53″W / 53.44439°N 2.21478°W / 53.44439; -2.21478
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Owens Park in 1975

The Fallowfield Campus is the main residential campus of the University of Manchester. It is located in Fallowfield, Manchester, 2 miles (3 km) south of the main university site, to which it is connected by Wilmslow Road and the A34.

History

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The university has had an association with Fallowfield since 1910 when Ashburne Hall moved into "The Oaks" from its original home in Victoria Park, renaming it as Ashburne Hall. In 1932 the university inherited the Firs, which was used as the vice-chancellor's residence until 1991. Fallowfield was also the site of playing fields at Mab Field used by the athletics union of the university.

The campus played host to the Athletes Village for the 2002 Commonwealth Games held in the city.[1][2][3]

The conditions and costs of the university's accommodation have been the subject of student protests in 2020 and 2023.

Development

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In 2004 the university unsuccessfully planned to sell and demolish a number of buildings including Owens Park, Ladybarn House and Oak House[4][5] The plan was not successful owing to a residents' protest.[6] In April 2014 the university made new plans to develop the Fallowfield campus with Mubadala Development Company offering to fund the renovations,[7] with the new plan expected to be completed in 2027[5] These plans were put forward for planning permission in 2015, and have again been contested by local residents.[8]

The 2014 redevelopment plan outlines a £200m renovation of campus including "A new student services centre, shops and a doctor's surgery are planned, as well as lawns with outdoor 'chaises longues'." There will be space for a total of 3,209 students, an increase of about 50% over the current 2,176. The number of parking spaces would more than triple from 41 to 159.[9] The plan for the new village is to be completed in three phases, with the first phase to be completed in time for 2018/19 academic year,[10] with construction starting after summer 2016.[11]

Halls of Residence

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Allen Hall

Fallowfield Campus is the main area of student accommodation for University of Manchester.

Allen Hall

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Allen Hall, situated on Wilmslow Road, was built as a Roman Catholic halls of residence by the bishop George Beck in 1961, and licensed to the university. As with the other halls, it encouraged diversity and allowed both Catholic and non-Catholic students.[12] In 2012 the hall was subject to some problems including a failing boiler and the discovery of asbestos and has remained closed since then.[13]

Ashburne Hall

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Further information: Ashburne Hall
Ashburne Hall

The Grade II listed[14] Ashburne Hall was founded in 1900 by Samuel Alexander, R. D. Darbishire, C. P. Scott and Alice B. Cooke as a hall of residence for women students. (Two halls for men had already been founded in association with Owens College.) It was first located at Ashburne House in Victoria Park (donated by R. D. Darbishire for the purpose) and remained there until the removal to "The Oaks" (which was then renamed Ashburne Hall) in 1910. The new site was on Wilmslow Road at the corner of Old Hall Lane, Fallowfield.[15][16]

By 1930 the hall had been extended by new buildings and enriched by the bequest from Lord Morley of his personal library. At a later date Sheavyn House was built in the grounds and commemorates Dr Sheavyn who had been warden of the hall.[17]

Ladybarn House

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Ladybarn House is on the corner of Moseley Road and Wilmslow Road.[18] It was bought from the University of Manchester, by Development Securities plc. and Accrue in 2011. It was purchased for around £7 million on a long lease from the university.[19][20] It consists of 117 bedrooms situated on the floors above six retail units.[21]

Oak House

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Oak House, on Moseley Road, has a total of 1085 rooms.[22] This is largely made up of mixed sex flats which are each divided into 8 bedrooms and include shared facilities.[23] The hall was built in 1973 on the site of the old Oak House Hotel, which has purchased by the university in 1955 for £9,000[24] (worth approximately £210,900 in 2016)[note 1] In the 1960s, the halls could cater for approximately 480 students. Flats were arranged around central staircases, unlike the other halls on at the university which were generally arranged along long corridors. The halls also had a central amenities block, with rooms like a games room and laundry.[24] In 1988, the halls were added an extension called Holly Court bringing the total to 1085 rooms.[25]

Owens Park

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Owens Park accommodation at 293 Wilmslow Road housed a total of 1,056 students. Plans for student accommodation started on the site in the 1950s, and was revolutionary in its approach of mixed gender accommodation.[26] The first building to be constructed was the Owens Park Tower, which was designed by Building Design Partnership and opened in 1964.[27][26] The tower is 19 storeys high[28] and has a fibreglass relief, Cosmos I, by Mitzi Cunliffe, at the base.[29][26]

The next phase of Owens Park opened in 1965, and won an award from the Civic trust the following year.[26] The accommodation is split into units called "Houses", each housing about 40-50 students, with basic facilities shared by about 10-12 students.[30] The site was used as part of the Commonwealth Games Athletes' village and included investment in a £750,000 security system[26]

In 2021 Owens Park was closed, and as of 2023 is awaiting demolition as part of the Fallowfield Campus redevelopment plan.

Richmond Park

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The Richmond Park halls of residence, constructed in 1994, are built on the site of the former Fallowfield Stadium where the 1893 FA Cup Final was played.[31][32] Situated on Whitworth Lane it consists of eight blocks of eight flats each with eight bedrooms.[33]

Unsworth Park

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Named in memory of Ron Unsworth, Unsworth Park opened in 2019 and provides accommodation for a total of 1122 students across 8 accommodation blocks named after bees (Bilberry, Bumble, Carder, Heath, Honey, Marsham, Mason and Tawny) and there is also The Meadow amenities and learning block.[34]

Uttley House

Uttley House

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Named after writer Alison Uttley, Uttley House opened in 2021 in the former Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre. Featuring a bar, computer cluster and amenities room, half the rooms are allocated to postgraduates and is billed by the university as a quieter halls of residence.[35]

Woolton Hall

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Further information: Woolton Hall, Manchester

Woolton Hall is a mixed sex hall on Whitworth Lane[36] It was founded in 1959 as male-only[37] and was subject to much criticism due to the male cliques. At one point, it was described as a 'secretive little bastion of misogyny' with many of the residents displaying sexist attitudes.[38] The halls were changed to mixed-sex accommodation in 1991.

Other halls

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  • Linton House on Wellington Road has rooms for eleven single occupancy, nineteen double and five family room.[39]
  • The Firs Villa, on Whitworth Lane next to Richmond Park, accommodates four students.[40]

Facilities

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Fallowfield Campus is home to the university's botany grounds, the Firs Environmental Research Station.[41] It consists of 18 buildings which include greenhouses, along with planting and ancillary buildings.[42] There are also teaching and research gardens.[43] In 2020, as a result of a £2 million endowment, the greenhouses were substantially upgraded.[44]

The campus also includes the Limes, the catering and maintenance facility for the university.[42] Plans have been proposed to demolish the site and replace it with four storey, town house style, residential accommodation for students.[45] The Armitage Sports Centre is a sports centre and ground available to both students and other members of the public.[42] It includes a number of grass and all-weather pitches for outdoor sports along with fitness classes indoors.[11]

Notes

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  1. ^ Comparing the retail price index between 1955 and 2016, £9,000 is valued at approximately £210,900.00 by MeasuringWorth.com

References

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  1. ^ Greenwood, Lynne (July 20, 2002). Track and field, bed and board, night and day. The Daily Telegraph.
  2. ^ "Athlete's Village". m2002.thecgf.com. Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games official site. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  3. ^ "BBC Manchester 2002 - Commonwealth Games Village". www.bbc.co.uk. BBC. 12 July 2002. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  4. ^ "Contract out for Owens Park construction partner". Place North West. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Student homes face the bulldozer", Manchester Evening News, 2 February 2001, retrieved 27 October 2012
  6. ^ Hughes, Emily (15 October 2015). "Owens Park's £200m refurbishment". Mancunion. Manchester Media Group. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  7. ^ Fitzgerald, Todd (19 December 2014). "Man City bosses pour £175m into Owens Park student campus". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  8. ^ Abbit, Beth (19 October 2015). "Residents hit out at plans to accommodate extra 1,000 students to Owens Park in Fallowfield". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  9. ^ Williams, Jennifer (16 October 2015). "Owens Park campus: How student hub will look after £200m revamp and iconic tower is demolished". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  10. ^ "3000 room student village to be developed at The University of Manchester". The University of Manchester. 18 December 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Fallowfield Campus". The University of Manchester. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  12. ^ Pullan, Brian; Abendstern, Michele (2000). A History of the University of Manchester, 1951-73 (Illustrated ed.). Manchester University Press. p. 116. ISBN 9780719056703. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  13. ^ Sterne, Jenny (15 September 2014). "Allen Hall to remain closed". The Mancunion. Manchester Media Group. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  14. ^ Historic England (8 June 2012). "Ashburne Hall (Lees, Mary Worthington, Ward and Central block), including the Alice Barlow memorial gates and Ashburne Hall Lodge (Grade II) (1401670)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  15. ^ Sheavyn, Phoebe A. B. (1939) Ashburne Hall, 1900-1930, in: The Journal of the University of Manchester, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 66-70
  16. ^ "Ashburne Hall". The University of Manchester. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  17. ^ Yggdrasill; 1997/98 (centenary issue of the Hall magazine, containing 15 contributions by various hands)
  18. ^ "Location: Located in Manchester's student quarter". Ladybarn House. Archived from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  19. ^ "DEVSEC BUYS £7M MANCHESTER STUDENT BLOCK". Insider Media Limited. 28 September 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  20. ^ "REG - Development Secs.PLC - Acquisition of student accommodation in Manchester". Reuters. RNS. 28 September 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  21. ^ "Ladybarn House". Accrue Capital. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  22. ^ "Oak House". The University of Manchester. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  23. ^ "Oak House". The University of Manchester. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  24. ^ a b Pullan, Brian; Abendstern, Michele (2000). A History of the University of Manchester, 1951-73 (Illustrated ed.). Manchester University Press. p. 79. ISBN 9780719056703. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  25. ^ Pullan, Brian; Abendstern, Michele (2004). A History of the University of Manchester, 1973-90 (Illustrated ed.). Manchester University Press. p. 290. ISBN 9781847795519. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  26. ^ a b c d e "Village Life". The University of Manchester. The University of Manchester Alumni Magazine. May 2005. pp. 30–31. Retrieved 16 January 2016.[permanent dead link]
  27. ^ "Owen's Park student village, Fallowfield campus, University of Manchester". Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  28. ^ "Owens Park Tower". Skyscraper Page. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  29. ^ Clare Hartwell, Matthew Hyde and Nicholas Pevsner (2004) [1969]. Pevsner Architectural Guides - Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East. ISBN 0-300-10583-5.
  30. ^ "Owens Park". The University of Manchester. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  31. ^ Inglis, Simon (2004). Played in Manchester. Swindon: English Heritage. p. 62. ISBN 978-1-873592-78-6.
  32. ^ "The University of Manchester's Fallowfield Campus: A Draft Development Framework: History". Manchester City Council Report for Resolution (PDF). Manchester City Council. 8 April 2014. pp. 33–34. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  33. ^ "Richmond Park". The University of Manchester. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  34. ^ "Unsworth Park". The University of Manchester. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  35. ^ "Details (The University of Manchester)". www.accommodation.manchester.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  36. ^ "Woolton Hall". The University of Manchester. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  37. ^ Pullan, Brian; Abendstern, Michele (2000). A History of the University of Manchester, 1951-73 (Illustrated ed.). Manchester University Press. p. 116. ISBN 9780719056703. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  38. ^ Pullan, Brian; Abendstern, Michele (2004). A History of the University of Manchester, 1973-90 (Illustrated ed.). Manchester University Press. pp. 285–288. ISBN 9781847795519. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  39. ^ "Linton House". The University of Manchester. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  40. ^ "The Firs Villa". The University of Manchester. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  41. ^ "Firs Experimental Gardens". The University of Manchester. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  42. ^ a b c "Fallowfield Campus Development Framework" (pdf). Manchester.gov.uk. Manchester Council. p. 34.
  43. ^ Tighe, Chris (23 November 2012). "University botanic gardens threatened". Financial Times. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  44. ^ "FIRS Environmental Research Centre gets £2m makeover". Science and Engineering. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  45. ^ "Manchester City Council: Planning and Highways Committee". Manchester City Council. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2016.

53°26′40″N 2°12′53″W / 53.44439°N 2.21478°W / 53.44439; -2.21478

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