Castle Leazes Memories by YuriL

The Development and Alumni Relations Office Newcastle University 6 Kensington Terrace Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU

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‘Promoting harmonious relations between humans and cows’

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EXPLICIT CONTENT

2000s... It’s now been 40 years since the three halls of Castle Leazes flung open their doors, and 2009 is set to see a new building added to the line-up. Here’s a sneak peek of what to expect: (Information from Newcastle University brochure, ‘Creating a campus for the future’ – available online) A new student accommodation block at Castle Leazes Halls of Residence will provide an additional 98 study bedrooms over seven floors. Two selfcatered flats per floor, with en suite facilities and shared living spaces, will house seven students each, as well as offering the potential to accommodate up to 14 students with varying disabilities. The new block will be built in keeping with the architectural design of the existing buildings at Castle Leazes. Total investment: £4.8 million Architect: Howarth Litchfield Partnership Construction: June 2008 to September 2009

An architect’s drawing of the new Castle Leazes building, as yet un-named.

Welcome back to Castle Leazes Castle Leazes has been the jewel in the crown of Newcastle’s student residences since it opened in 1968. For the University, it’s a great source of pride: A sign of friendship with the Freemen of the City, who lease the land to the University for a peppercorn rent. A symbol of brutalist 60s architecture. A fully autonomous unit where students can be kept out of trouble... Well to a degree. For its past and present residents, however, Castle Leazes is the embodiment of a timeless, iconic era. It’s a place where legends never get old; where hazy memories find their way back from the recesses of history; where cows regret that they ever became associated with the human race. How do you remember life on the Town Moor? With a warm sense of notalgia? Fear and loathing? Pride and smugness? Here is a collection of memories and photos, from the swinging 60s to the present day. We hope you enjoy this little trip down memory lane...

1960s In my day, we lived in Leazes Terrace, a block of large late Georgian or early Victorian Houses built for the well-to-do and with some decidedly dodgy occupants, as well as a few students, prostitutes and drunks. We had no water at all on the top floor where we lived, but great views over the Park. There was one bathroom three floors below and no hot water. We didn't bathe often and when we did it was in the baths in the Union building. I'm sure that we were very rowdy and badly behaved from time to time. by Tony Morris (LLB 1960)

LEAZES AIR SHOW: Because Leazes Moor is nice and big with a few flat spots on it, it lends itself to a frequent landing site for the Air Ambulance and sometimes the Army helicopter to pick up soldiers that come unstuck on exercises. Through the trees this particular day I spotted some huge yellow thing and it turned out to be the lads from RAF Boulmer with their Sea King downed, waiting for spares. Spare parts arrived in the form of an RAF chopper landing in the field, and then the two helicopters flew off to pluck more people out of the drink. While people were busy looking at the impromptu air display, looking behind revealed hundreds and hundreds of people (including the cows) staring agok over the fence, numerous cars parked, Richardson Road gridlocked, police everywhere. Beat the Sunderland Air Show hands down! AGRICS: Finally, a nortorious agric by the name of D frequented the Castle Leazes bar. Nightly so I heard. Consuming pints in double figures at least. I must have done something right because this particular night had not gone according to plan. My partner (now my wife) and I were partaking of refreshment. D and a fellow group of agrics suddenly dove into their overdrafts and lined up several pints. Neatly arranged into two lines, the now completely sh*tfaced D and another lad proceeded to have a pint downing race. D cessated through his third pint and went green – uttered ‘Oh fu*k!’ and violently spewed. Bar staff furious. Agrics cheering wildly. My girlfriend not aumsed...;You live here?’ she asked. I nodded meekly. ‘Look, you can move in if you want…?’ by Jonathan Bradley (BSc Genetics 1999)

The first newsletter at Castle Leazes was called 'Once in a Blue Moon.' One of the fiercest debates raging during the first year of the halls’ existence was whether students going into their second and third year should be allowed to stay there! When Leazes first opened, we each had an individual cleaner for our rooms. Mind you, that was in the days when on JCR night you had to wear your gown and also attend tutorials! by Howard Hoy (BA (Hons) English Language & Literature 1970)

One of the famous Castle Leazes helicopter landings. 1989

1990s I lived in Castle Leazes for three years between 1993–1996. In my second year I was president of the combined EPH, Havelock and Freemen’s JCR. We organised many memorable events during the year including a large firework display on Leazes Moor with permission of the Freemen of the City and various Balls and Tribute Bands etc. Before bonfire night we had a rota to guard the bonfire 24 hours a day so that it didn’t get lit by the locals or drunk students. In those days we had dedicated teams running sound and lighting for discos, the cinema (every Sunday night) and student welfare. Some member of our committee got elected based on a campaign to supply every student with soft toilet paper rather that the razor sharp tracing paper that was supplied. This proved very popular. by Marek Bidwell (BSc Marine Biology 1996)

I started off in the old Eustace Percy Hall (now demolished) on Freeman Road in September 1968. I remember the sound of rats scampering above our rooms along the roof space at night, metal framed windows, huge metal radiators rattling and bubbling and scalding hot pipes leading to them, so moving to the new Eustace Percy Hall at Castle Leazes was a big excitement! I was on the top floor of Coquet building and loved the view out of the window and the memories of green fields and walks of home. What I hadn’t anticipated was the impossibility of getting any sleep once the summer came since there were no blinds on the top sloping windows, and the sun streamed onto my face at 4am in the morning. The hall was organized with strictly girls and boys floors and the janitor at the reception would ring up to check if we wanted to admit a particular visitor. I had one particular guy who was giving me unwelcome attention and I just asked the janitor to send him away – which he did! The janitor actually checked everyone who came in and out and visitors had to sign in and out and enter who they were visiting. One bit of excitement involved a flasher who secreted himself in the woods on the route to the University. I had spotted him one evening wearing a light raincoat and he exposed himself briefly. I took little notice as I assumed such events were part and parcel of city life! We had tramps and various odd characters that were tolerated without comment at home too. I was surprised therefore, to find the police much in evidence about a week later. They were seeking a description of this individual who had accosted and greatly distressed another female resident of the halls. I racked my brain and came up with quite a bit of information which I didn’t realize I had observed and also had to go through a police photo-gallery of likely suspects – a first for me.

Castle Leazes cleaners, Hilary and Joan, featured in the Courier, 2 Feb 1998 (story by Karen Kennedy) I was resident in room H878, at the top of Havelock Hall, from October 1987 to June 1989. The peace and quiet of the early hours was often shattered by the arrival of a big yellow helicopter, presumably airlifting a patient in to the RVI. Peace and quiet? What am I saying – it’s a hall of residence! OK, so the usual laughter, screams, squeals and sounds of drunken frivolity were often drowned out by the sound of a helicopter landing by Dave Newton (BSc Astronomy, 1990).

by Mrs Rosemary Prudhoe (nee Craddock) (MB BS 1971)

I was in Havelock Hall in 68–69. I didn’t enjoy it very much. I spent most of the time at friends’ flats, though having seen the student accommodation my daughter survived, I had it easy! by Richard Parsons (BSc Botany 1971)

1970s Mischief, bovine bothering, giant snowballs in the middle of Richardson Road, a calf inside the halls of residence, cattle roaming along Richardson Road… These are some of the TRUE legends about life at Castle Leazes! Perhaps those directly involved with these legends came now come forward to share their memories and re-live their Leazes days and great times on the Moor. by Dennis Saw (BSc Chemical Engineering 1979)

ing, you could see pieces of bread plastered on the walls with butter as well as spots of strawberry jam, and when it snowed, it was snowball fights all over. The naughty or shall we say ‘high spirited’ students would empty all the fire extinguishers and throw snowballs at the lighted windows. The snowballs invariably had stones inside which meant the windows would break and the poor student inside would freeze the night away unless he had a cuddly girlfriend to keep him warm. The lit windows were targeted because it meant the student was inside studying instead of having fun. I was very careful on such occasions to switch off my main light and just use my table lamp for studying for my exams. There would also be an acute shortage of food trays in the dining hall because the students would hijack them to use as improvised toboggans on the snow covered slopes around Castle Leazes and also on the Town Moor. Yes, high spirits was the order of the day, especially when students had one too many Newcastle Brown Ales, and there were some who could down 15 pints in one night! The food in Freemen's hall was not too bad, not gourmet stuff by any stretch of the imagination, but the Treacle Pudding was absolutely fabulous and I always had second and sometimes 3rd helpings. The serving ladies were all great pals of mine. Gooey, sweet and incredibly yummy with lashings of hot, hot custard! The Rhubarb Pudding however was a culinary disaster, only to be fed to prisoners to torture them for information you want. Some overseas students, who could not adapt, suffered terribly and resorted to eating instant noodles in their room with oily canned pork from China. They grumbled and whinged about the food a lot. Formal Dining was a blast and I would work as a waiter at Eustace Percy Hall. There were always empty seats and so I would get an extra plate for myself and in between serving, I would sit down and eat too. Then it was back to the kitchen to serve the next course. I was a guest and waiter at the same time. It was great fun!

Residents rowing to Mungo Jerry's 'In the Summertime', 1976 There was a shop near the main reception area run by a local ‘entrepreneur’ who seemed to charge at least twice as much for basic necessities as the shops in the area. We christened him ‘the Shark’. One evening, after his shop was closed, some enterprising students arranged to re-open the roller shutter and put up a very large sign –THE SHARK– above the hatch of the shop, and close the shutter. Since the shop keeper opened the shutter from inside the shop, he spent virtually the whole of the next morning grinning out of the shop, with the prominent sign above him, wondering why he was suddenly the centre of attention! by Michael Ashwell (BA Economics & Accounting 1976)

There were always these students what we called the God Squad. Instead of studying and doing their work or even going to the disco or pub, they would go from room to room to try and covert students to Christianity. One night two of them came to convert me. After about 15 minutes, I realised they had to be made to go away in a diplomatic way. I thought of a clever and cunning plan and brought them to my friend who was a medical student. You see, he was from Pakistan and was a devout Muslim. He told me the next morning at breakfast that they had a big argument the whole night about their two respective religions. I got to study my Dentistry and have a good night's sleep. Yes, there was never a dull moment in Castle Leazes!! by Dr Michael Lim (BDS 1981 & MB BS 1983)

At Havelock Hall, birthday celebrations were never complete without the birthday boy or girl spending the night sleeping with the cows on the moors. Having plied the unsuspecting person with Newcastle Brown Ale and put them to bed, they were wheeled into the large lifts and Sleeping Beauty woke up surrounded by cows!

I was a student at Newcastle University form 1968 to 1971 and like many of that generation of students lived at Castle Leazes for three years. If nothing else, it was convenient for the university and the city. It was not the quality of the food that kept you there!

I do remember being fairly horrified by the size of the room when I staggered from the station during Fresher’s week. After the first few days everyone put up the same 'Athena' posters and things weren’t so bleak! Nothing could improve the food though!

Castle Leazes were one of the first mixed halls for the University albeit men and women were meant to be on separate floors unlike today at the universities my daughters have attended! There were the occasional formal dining nights when gowns were required. These were helpful in protecting one's only suit from the stray food that appeared to fly until the warden intervened. Sherry was available before the meal. The sherry was rumoured, never proven though, to be from South Africa despite students vocal resistance to apartheid. The junior common room used to organise a film show every Sunday evening which most of us went to before cocoa and an early night because of 9am lectures on a Monday. The bar only opened for an hour at 9.30pm, but never sold real ale.

by Anne Hawkridge (MB BS 1983)

The halls were conservative and safe although sadly there were the occasional violent incidents on the moor on the walk from Richardson Road. Town and Gown they called it. It was quite frightening when Scottish fans descended on the city in the year when Newcastle United won the then Inter-Cities Fairs cup. Was that in 1970? by Stuart Holliday (LLB 1971)

Helene Dolder (centre-left) and Nick Constantine at an EPH dinner, 1985 I lived in Room 202 of Freemen’s Hall for three years, and would jog around Castle Leazes and the Town Moor to keep fit. One afternoon on a Sunday, a big black mastiff escaped from its owner. It attacked me as I was jogging. Luckily, my Karate and Hwa Rang Do training saved me. I chopped the dog very hard on the left side of his jaw. It worked. I was the President of the Newcastle University Karate Club and also the Captain of the Karate Team. Our Warden, Dr A E Curral, was a very liberal and easy going gentleman whose favourite response to student high jinks, vandalism and general extreme misbehavior was, ‘Just student high spirits...’. This, of course, meant life in Castle Leazes could get very exciting. Sometimes in the morn-

(r-l): Stan Calvert, Ken Dolder, Gwen Calvert and a Leazes resident at a do.

I was a resident of Eustace Percy 1973–74 and have fond memories of the 1973 Havelock Hall Christmas Party, which was a pyjama party. We all danced the night away to Slade and 'Merry Christmas' and tried to pull the boys pants down! by Christine Tyrie (MB BS 1978)

1980s I was in Freemans Hall in my first year in 1984. I was in the tower on the fifth floor looking towards the TA drill hall. You could often hear them practicing their marches. I had one of the rooms with the bay window (and a proper bed not a camp bed like some of my friends!) so I could see over towards Leazes Park. It was a great room. High enough to not be overlooked!! I remember seeing the lights of St James’ Park when Newcastle were playing at home and also when Bruce Springsteen came to do a series of mega concerts. I do remember having to avoid the cows and the cow pats walking across the moor but it was great – a little bit of the Countryside in the City! I remember a story (never sure if it was true) of one of the Agrics getting a cow into the Halls and putting it in the lift where it was then let loose on one of the floors. I don’t think it was a happy ending though. Poor thing was too stressed by the living conditions! Another time, for someone’s birthday they got into his room and put his bed, bed side cabinet, lamp and chair in the lift – set up so it looked like his room with the bed made etc! That was funny. I remember the food at breakfast – rubber toast, rubber eggs and watery tinned tomatoes. We still took piles of toast up to our rooms though to keep us going while studying (or listening to music in the halls).

Alan Johnson (left) entertaining a friend, 1976. I was social chairman of EPH in 1976 – we hosted Sting each term with his band at the time Last Exit and I organised the first (and probably last) strippers night at EPH. by John Pain (BSc Agricultural Economics 1978) I was in Freemens Hall for my first three years from 1969–72. In my second year, I edited the hall newspaper, ‘Inmate’ as it was then called, and in my third year, was President of the JCR. I am in regular touch with my Secretary for that year, Ivar Rachkind, who now lives in Texas, and with the then Warden, Dr Arnold Currall, who now lives in Carlisle and is in his 80s by Paul Mercer (BA Architectural Studies 1972)

Havelock had Mud as their star turn at one of the end-of-term concerts. I was there pre-mobile phones, so I used to have to save up 10ps in a film case until I had 2 cases worth to phone my boyfriend and parents. The phones were never particularly private and were next to the snooker room. One of my friends told me how she and her then boyfriend had got up to no good in the snooker room – actually on the table! I am sure that happened a lot!! I really enjoyed my time at Leazes. It had a nice atmosphere – despite its rather austere architecture. by Mrs Diane Aldridge (nee Tucker) (BA Town & Country Planning 1989)