Former Liverpool student halls that "didn't need the wow factor" were loved by generations of students for decades.
If you ever studied at the University of Liverpool, it's likely you lived, visited, or at least knew somebody who once called the famous Carnatic Halls of Residence home. For many, it was the second place they had ever lived - and where thousands upon thousands of students started life as independent adults
Located in Mossley Hill, it was loved for its "outdated" style, from paper thin walls to squeaky doors. A bus ride or taxi drive home was always part of the day to day routine and while the "legendary" halls may not have been luxurious, it was all part of the Carnatic experience.
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Never forgotten by its past residents, Carnatic was more than just accommodation - it was the meeting point were many relationships and friendships were formed. And the site boasted a long history in the city generations before it was known as student digs.
According to the University of Liverpool website, Mossley Hill House, or Carnatic Hall, was built for Peter Baker, master shipwright, around 1779. In the 1890s, the house caught fire during renovations, being almost completely destroyed by fire.
The then owner, Walter Holland, had a new similar styled hall erected, before the University of Liverpool purchased the hall outright in the 1940s. Prior to its demolition, Between 1946 and 1964, the University made the Hall available to the Liverpool Museum between 1946 and 1964, as during the Second World War, the museum stored many of its artefacts to prevent them from damage during air raids.
In 1964, the site was demolished, before the university accommodation as thousands of students came to love and know it was built. Architects Messrs Manning and Clamp of Richmond Surrey were appointed following an open competition to design the Carnatic site and through the 60s and 70s, individual halls were built, with a block of flats being added for staff in 1974.
What are your memories of Carnatic Halls? Let us know in the comments section below.
The site was also used through the years to host external conferences and events. But many former students still have fond memories of crashing back to the halls after a night out, summers on the grass enjoying the annual Carni festival with free drinks and popcorn or the bus journey back with flat mates.
In the noughties, there were reports that the site could be sold off. But the University of Liverpool officially closed the accommodation in June 2019, as part of a decade-long residences strategy that saw new accommodation like Vine and Crown Court open on campus.
A spokesman said that no students living in the halls would be affected. The university's then head of accommodation said the year prior that prospective Liverpool Uni students preferred other types of accommodation to what was on offer at the halls.
He said: "Carnatic has welcomed thousands of students to the University over the years and will no doubt hold special memories for many. Although we know that, on the whole, students enjoy their experience at Carnatic Student Village, increasingly we find that prospective students have a preference for other types of university accommodation.
Days later, student Syona Marok wrote a 'love letter' to Carnantic - the student halls without the wow factor that generations grew to love. She wrote: " It might have seemed old, out of touch and a little (okay, very) ugly, but you soon grew to love it.
"On the surface it couldn’t beat Vine Courts en-suite rooms or Greenbank’s modern gym, but Carnatic showed you how to love the basics. It didn’t need that wow factor.
"Sure, the kitchens were small, but they were great for being forced to get to know everyone on your floor. In fact they are possibly the reason you’re all still friends today.
"There might have been only three showers to share between up to 20 people - but it prepared you for living in a student house for the rest of university.
"Later on you would appreciate sharing showers with only three or four people and not take it for granted. So, thanks, Carnatic. And those bus rides on the 699 to campus everyday were a bit of a grind but gave you a great chance to socialise with other students and get you get to know the roads of Liverpool instead of being cooped up on campus.
"Waking up every day to a full English was one of the best parts about Carnatic. Although I can’t say I ate it often, it was definitely a great hangover cure.
"Those walks to the dining hall were also the only bit of peace you could get at university. Unless it was raining, then you had to decide if your daily dose of chips was worth getting soaked for."
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Following the announcement, a number of ECHO readers also took to social media to share their memories. On Facebook, Sid Hawes said: "I remember Carnatic Hall that was there before them."
Iain Legge posted: "1991 I was in Lady Mountford E block. The Legendary Party Block....I played my progressive house music so loud. My overriding memory was the people in my block asking me to turn my music down..ha ha.....Party on dudes...PS i did do some work as well." And Mike Wilson wrote: "Had a few mad nights here, legendary digs."
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In October 2020, the ECHO reported how the University of Liverpool was set to sell its Carnatic halls of residence site after closing them the year prior. Letters sent to neighbours of the south Liverpool site confirmed the university's intentions to sell and said the university would be looking for a purchaser or house developer to take on the site in the coming weeks.
At the time, a University of Liverpool spokeswoman said the site no longer met the needs of students. She said: "The Carnatic Halls of Residence site was closed in June 2019 as part of the University’s long-term residential strategy, which has seen the opening of two new accommodation sites on our city-centre campus and the refurbishment of our Greenbank Student Village.
"Operating for more than 50 years, the ageing nature of the buildings on the Carnatic site means it no longer meets the needs of our students and this has led to our decision to sell. There will be a full public consultation as part of the sale and planning process, which we expect to take place over the coming months."
Last year, the ECHO took a look back on some photos of the the iconic accommodation. The site may no longer be home to student, but it remains home to many special memories.
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