Our History
The Association has a long and varied history, with its roots lying in one of the predecessors of Manor Hall, Elton House. Find out more below.
The Manor Hall Association is the alumni organisation for Manor Hall, a Hall of Residence of the University of Bristol, located in Clifton. Along with the main building of Manor Hall, it also includes the annexes; Sinclair House, Manor House, Richmond House, Richmond Terrace, and 115 Queen's Road each with a history as rich as the next. The Association exists to keep all current and former residents in touch with each other and with the Hall community and to strengthen the relationships between Manorites old and new.
The Association itself has a long history, originally being founded in 1925 as the ‘Elton House Old Students’ Association’ by Miss Winifred Mabel Armstead (1902-1998). In 1932, when the ladies from Elton House relocated to the newly built Manor Hall, the Association was renamed accordingly.
Over the years there have been many people who have invested a huge amount of effort into making the Association work. Not least Mrs Ruth Mary Burle née Gregory, a former senior student of Manor Hall, who organised the annual association newsletter, carried on a voluminous correspondence with almost 300 members, and organised the triennial reunions held at Easter time in the hall.
In 2005, the Association was wound up pro tem because no one could be found to replace the outgoing committee. The Association wrote to the chairman of the Wills Hall Association, Mr Richard Cross, who agreed to allow members of the Manor Hall Association to join with Wills Hall until such a time as new officers could be found to continue its work.
Upon hearing the news of the Association's dissolution, several members of the then Junior Common Room Committee felt strongly that the work the association should be continued. In December 2007 Messrs. Christopher A. Didcote, William S.D. Morton and Gareth D. Rees set about its reformation acting as Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Treasurer respectively.
Since then, the Association continues to go from strength to strength, with the inclusion of current residents as members during their time in hall, annual reunion events and an ever increasing presence in the Hall and University communities.
The small but dedicated committee meets frequently to further promote the work of the Association for the benefit of alumni and current residents alike. More information on the current committee can be found on the Executive Committee page.
