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Royal Holloway

Bars:: The Stumble Inn - An S.U. run bar with a Scream pub atmosphere. Always very busy in the evenings and especially with first years. Sports teams hold weekly drinking nights here on Wednesdays - the Rugby club is the most vociferous.

Tommys - Tommys is one of the bars in the Students' Union building. The décor is quite relaxed, and caters well for its two customer groups - the daytime academic and the nocturnal beer drinker. It is open 7 days a week from 11:00am until late (1-2am etc.) During the day fresh coffee and hot chocolate are popular. In the evenings it's pretty popular with 2nd and 3rd year students and on function nights it is combined with the main union area after chucking out time to increase the overall venue capacity.

Crosslands - This bar is in the heart of the Founders building and is not run by the Students' Union. Usually people sit outside in the picturesque quads and study, converse intellectually in that classic prospectus style. Despite not being an SU bar it's still pretty cheap.

Medicine - Formerly called Holloways, this bar has been fully rennovated / redesigned. Located above the Stumble Inn this is now a cool bar, with long pale fabrics and stylish brown leather seating. There is a food bar serving a range of healthy snacks and people regularly eat here instead of in halls. There are also a number of pool tables.

Hall Bars - These are situated in Athlone and Kingswood Halls. They are usually very quiet but on rare occasions you might find more people there than yourself and the barman! Kingswood's Tapas Bar does have function nights that are quite good. Also, there are sometimes special offers such as £1 a pint.

Local Area - The local area isn't exactly the social heartbeat of the western world, but there are a few good pubs to choose from. The Happy Man is an old student favorite. The Monkey's Forehead is also popular, but seems to attract an older, more post-graduate crowd these days. Egham has a number of very good restaurants and Windsor provides Liquid for those who want to go clubbing. For the best Indian restaurant in the world - no joke, it has the awards to prove it - head to The Tiger's Pad in Sunningdale. A bit expensive on a low budget, but definitely worth it.

Functions:: Since Royal Holloway is a campus university, much of the social life takes place in the Students' Union. Royal Holloway has one of the highest turnover Student Unions in the country, and the quality of the entertainments is renowned.

The Student Union Building has a capacity of 1200, with organised functions 6 nights a week. Functions usually cost around £4.00 and the most popular nights are Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday when the bars open until 2:00am. In the last few years bands such as Steps, Republica, Dodgy, Another Level, Sash, the Lightning Seeds and Boy George have all performed.

In recent years, attendance levels at the union have fallen. Having canvassed public opion, one of the main contributing factors has been the hugely over-baring security procedures. Photo ID is essential to enter the building after 8pm and every non-Holloway person has to be signed in - other NUS card do not gain automatic entry. Many students have decided that rather than have their friends gather at RHUL, they may as well meet in London or go to a local club where security is less "anal". The reasons for this increased security in recent years are unclear as RHUL has never had any security or drug problems.

Major Social Events:: Black Tie functions tend to be more common at Royal Holloway than many other universities. So for the men out there who have not purchased a Dinner Jacket you might consider doing so (it is cheaper than renting). The first major social event of the year is the Freshers Ball, a never-ending source of amusement as it tends to transform the Union into a "perverted passion pit".
Throughout the year many Clubs and Societies (most notably the James Bond Society) have formal functions and dinners. The Christmas Ball is another popular evening, but the highlight of the year is the Summer Ball at Founders. For those that make it through the night there is a survivors photograph and a champagne breakfast. The Pimms tent is a must for all those "drink driving" on the dodgems and all tastes of music are catered for.

Clubs & Societies:: There are sports clubs covering virtually all fields, from rugby and hockey to skydiving. There are political societies for all persuasions and fun societies from the James Bond Society to the Battle Re-enactment Society!

Probably the most welcoming group of campers, though, is the Ski and Snowboard Club. The biggest club on campus and with the most social clout this is a good one to get involved with, whether you ski or not.

General · Facilities · Social · Accommodation · Media · Statistics · Comments