Hiatt Baker Hall

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Hiatt Baker Hall is one of the nine Halls of Residence of the University of Bristol, located in Stoke Bishop. The Hall houses around 440 undergraduate students (the largest number of any University of Bristol Hall)^[1] in two residential blocks, and is well known amongst University of Bristol students for its drab 1960's architecture, as well as its (historically) tempestuous relationship with Wills Hall^[2].

1 History
2 Facilities
3 See also
4 References

[edit] History

Hiatt Baker is named after the eminent biologist Hiatt Cowles Baker. H.C. Baker came from a 19th Century rags to riches story. His father, William M. Baker, started out bankrupt and destitute, moving to Bristol to find his fortune. He eventually become owner of Baker, Baker & Co, a department store of sorts, within the vicinity of the old castle grounds. It was through the Baker family that the link between the University of Bristol and the Holmes, now the site of the University of Bristol Botanical Gardens, was forged; W.M. Baker rented the Holmes when the families fortunes improved. The site then stayed within the tenancy of the Baker family, until acquired by the University in 1943.^[3]

Hiatt Cowles Baker sat on the committee that obtained a royal charter for the University of Bristol, and later became Pro-Chancellor between 1929 and 1934.^[4]

[edit] Facilities

Hiatt Baker residents, along with residents of other Stoke Bishop halls of residence, have the use of many of the sporting facilities at Wills Hall^[5], including tennis, squash and netball courts. Facilities within the hall include a music room, a television room, grand piano and library. As with all the Stoke Bishop Halls, Hiatt Baker has its own bar, which was refurbished in 2005.

Bar Freshers Week, The Hiatt Baker Ball is probably the biggest hall event of the year. Not as large as the balls thrown by Wills or Goldney, the Hiatt Baker Hall Ball is different in character. Whereas the balls of Wills and Goldney cater for the general student population, the Hiatt Baker Ball tends to be marketed only to the residents of the hall. Nevertheless past acts have included Scratch Perverts, The Artful Dodger and BBC Radio 1's Bobby and Nihal.