Lancaster students have chosen Furness College bar, Trevor, as the most popular on campus in a Facebook poll conducted by SCAN.
Out of 200 respondents, 39% voted for Trevor. Lonsdale’s Mane Place and Cartmel’s Winning Post came second and third with 17% and 14% of the vote respectively.
8% of the students in the poll voted for The Northern Oak of County College while 6% voted for the Pendle Bar. The Trough of Bowland, Grizedale Cafe Bar and The Herdwick (Graduate) each received 5% of the vote. Fylde College bar, the Windmill, came last with 3%.
Trevor’s win could be attributed to its location in the centre of campus, while both Lonsdale and Cartmel bars appeared to have enjoyed support from members of their own college which are known for strong college spirit.
Graduate bar’s performance in the poll has drawn cynicism from some of the respondents. Some of the comments left on the poll read, “How’s Grad not doing better? And how have Cartmel managed to get so many?” and “Whoa Cartmel second… there’s a surprise.”
On the Friday evening of Week 25, SCAN interviewed a number of randomly selected students at all nine college bars to gauge some opinions. Most of the respondents in this interview favoured Furness and Graduate bars.
Louise Whitehead of Bowland College chose Graduate bar because it is a “comfortable place where you can go to relax and they serve real ales.” Fylde’s Ian Van Mourile agreed with her, saying: “It is the only bar to serve a good selection of ales.”
Most of the students interviewed preferred college bars with an atmosphere akin to a “proper pub” such as Graduate, Bowland and Furness. Some, however, chose bars with modern interior as their favourites, such as Grizedale and Fylde.
There are also students who are indifferent about the different college bars. Adhina Zogrdfaki of Graduate College told SCAN: “I like to go to which ever bar my friends are at and enjoy their company in the various surroundings.”
Bowland and Fylde bars have undergone some refurbishment this year. According to an internal circular from the office of the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Colleges and the Student Experience, Professor Amanda Chetwynd, the refurbishment of Bowland bar and its social space is a part of the first phase of a major remodelling of Bowland Main. The project, which also includes a relocation of the porters’ lodge and college administration office, is due for completion in September 2011.
At the end of Lent term, Fylde Coffee Shop was closed and its operation has been moved into the bar. According to the same circular, the old coffee shop will be refurbished to provide “non-alcoholic social and meeting space for students.”
Grizedale bar was reopened at the beginning of Michaelmas term with a new and modern interior. The new bar was part of the £3 million project that includes refurbishment of the college’s porters’ lodges and administration office as well as reconstruction of new townhouse residences. The bar serves a range of drinks from its cafe and cocktail menus.
College bars have always been an integral aspect of student life in Lancaster. They not only serve food and drinks but also function as casual social space for the students. Many college events and activities organised by the JCRs centre around these bars.
Fylde bar, for example, regularly shows sport matches on big displays. Cartmel College holds its comedy nights in Barker House Farm which houses the bar while Lonsdale bar is known for its club music dance party nights.
