[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL] Formerly Huddersfield Polytechnic[EBOLD][PARA]Hills frame the view whichever way you look. Huddersfield is on [PARA]the eastern side of the Pennines in the middle of northern [PARA]England. And in the centre of town is one of the 2 sites of [PARA]Huddersfield University. The other, Holly Bank, is 2 miles away, [PARA]offering teaching training and further education courses [PARA](pre-degree level) only and where 600 students are based. As [PARA]far as undergrads are concerned though, the city centre site's the[PARA]important one. The main building is an [ITAL]overbearing[EITAL] network[ITAL] [EITAL]of [PARA]brown concrete boxes joined together by steps and walkways [PARA]and a bridge arching over a part of the River Calder. There's [PARA]another new building a short walk from the central campus at [PARA]Larchfield Mills. It's light brick and glass 70s architecture,[ITAL] but not [PARA]too bad. The tranquillity is shattered by [EITAL]the Huddersfield ring road[PARA]which borders the campus. [ITAL] It looks better at night when you can't[PARA]see the buildings too well and the lights from thousands of tiny [PARA]department windows make the place look like Gotham City. The [PARA]odd window is broken though and buildings have overspilt into [PARA]portakabins.[EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL]The University is very hospitable and cosmopolitan. [PARA]Overcrowding and scissors-and-paste type efficiency often give [PARA]students a bumpy ride, but as far as most are concerned, the [PARA]bumpier the better. A lot of events centre around the small [PARA]handful of fun palaces in town, so there's a strong sense of [PARA]student community in the centre. There's a raucous, rough [PARA]lifestyle, with many students taking the attitude 'I'm doing a [PARA]degree, aren't I? I don't need to bother with anything else that [PARA]smacks of self-improvement'. As a result, activities revolve [PARA]around alcohol and ents more than clubs and student politics - [PARA]great for short-term kicks, but there's more long-term life [PARA]satisfaction in switching to decaffeinated coffee. Still, few would [PARA]swap friendly Huddersfield for a box of Milk Tray. [EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]THE TOWN:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL][STAT][BULL] Population: 148,544 [BULL] London: 174miles [BULL] Leeds: 14miles [PARA]Manchester: 23miles[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA]Huddersfield first found its feet as an industrial town peddling [PARA]textiles. It still is industrial, although cloth has turned to economic [PARA]sloth and various recessions over the last 80 years have left the [PARA]town in considerable recess. [ITAL]There's now a slow and aged pace [PARA]about the place, some might even say boring, definitely not a [PARA]bright-lights-big-city - although Leeds is close enough for those [PARA]who crave a rave. The architecture reflects the tone - rather [PARA]grand, though sooty[EITAL], Georgian buildings, coexisting with the more[PARA]modern features of the shopping centre. [ITAL]Anyone arriving by train[PARA]will be impressed at their first sight of Huddersfield, but [EITAL]it's [PARA]downhill from there. In fact, talking of hills, there are gradients [PARA]steeper than Chris Bonington's staircase, only the jet-powered [PARA]mountain bikes survive. [ITAL]Don't try the walk to Holly Bank without [PARA]breathing apparatus and mint cake.[EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Trains:[EBOLD] The main site is 10 minutes walk from Huddersfield BR [PARA]station which has direct lines to Manchester, Leeds (to both [PARA]towns every 1/2hr when on time), Sheffield and Liverpool. [PARA]Intercity service to London (3hrs, 1/hr) via Wakefield and other [PARA]connections to Birmingham, Edinburgh and Bristol.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] National Express Services to London (ú12, 4:20hrs, [PARA]4/day), Sheffield (ú4, 1:35hrs, 2/day), Birmingham (ú10.50, [PARA]3:50hrs, 1/day) and elsewhere.[PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] A few minutes off the M62, on the A62, A642, A629 and A616.[PARA][BOLD]Air:[EBOLD] Manchester Airport (International), 30 miles away.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Locals will pick up hitchers even if they're pretty [PARA]smeggy. The A62 is probably the best pick up point or take a [PARA]bus to Junction 24 of the M62.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Local:[EBOLD] Buses are comprehensive charging between 32p and 48p.[PARA][BOLD]Taxis:[EBOLD] ú3 to get most of the way across town.[PARA][BOLD]Bicycles:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Heavy traffic and hellish hills, so much stamina is [PARA]required even going downhill. And then there's the usual [PARA]problems with theft.[EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]FACULTIES and STUDENT NOS:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Design Tech[EBOLD] 908[BOLD][PARA]Account/Law[EBOLD] 1,009[BOLD][PARA]Business[EBOLD] 1,785[BOLD][PARA]Music/Humanities[EBOLD] 1,595[BOLD][PARA]Education[EBOLD] 1,399[BOLD][PARA]Engineering[EBOLD] 1,177[BOLD][PARA]Computing/Maths[EBOLD] 845[BOLD][PARA]Health[EBOLD] 1,001[BOLD][PARA]App Sci[EBOLD] 1,448[BOLD][HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][EBOLD][PARA][BOLD][STAT][BULL] Books: 276,000 [BULL] Periodicals: 1,700 [BULL] Study places: 836 [PARA]Computer workstations: 1,000[ESTAT][EBOLD][PARA]The Central Library has 4 floors and there are 3 smaller libraries: [PARA]Holly Bank; a music library; and a Chemistry Periodicals Library.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 6full [BULL] Unemployed after [PARA]6mths (1992): 13.9%[ESTAT][HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]The University has incorporated Huddersfield College of [PARA]Technology and Huddersfield Teacher Training College, which [PARA]specialised in education, accountancy, law, business, textiles and[PARA]music, courses which still dominate the University.[HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]Gorden Kaye (actor - 'Allo, 'Allo).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads, part timers and postgrads. [PARA]Various other specialist handbooks are available from the [PARA]University, and one from the SU.
