St. Anselm Hall

Tucked out of the way next to Anson Road in Victoria Park is St. Anselm Hall. It’s also one of the oldest halls in Manchester, having recently celebrated its centenary, yet continues to go from strength to strength. It remains fairly unknown by name, though most non-​residents will recognise it as ‘the all-​guys hall where they wear gowns to dinner, right?’. Although true, this sort of misses out on the real heart of what is one of the most misunderstood halls in Manchester.
As an all-​guys hall it is under-​applied to by the freshers each year, and so most of them arrive through failing to fill in their accommodation form properly, or failing to hand it in. However, very few choose to leave once they have experienced life in the hall itself. It is a catered hall, meaning a nice cushy life whilst you’re there, and for such a small hall (around 110 students), boasts an extreme number of facilities. You have a gym, snooker table, squash courts, library, chapel/​music room, games room, TV room, bar… the list goes on.
Perhaps the most important aspect is the social life. There is a high reapplication rate each year, meaning the hall is a mix of students from all ages, and this serves to create a close-​knit camaraderie between them. An active social committee organises events throughout the year, and the bar is one of the cheapest in Manchester.
It is, however, one of the most expensive halls to live at, although the money is not wasted. And you do have to wear gowns to dinner of a weekday. But hey! it’s a small price to pay for what remains, to me anyway, the best Manchester University hall.