[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL] Formerly Huddersfield Polytechnic[EBOLD][PARA]Hills frame the view whichever way you look. Huddersfield is on the eastern side of the Pennines in the middle of northern England. And in the centre of town is one of the 2 sites of Huddersfield University. The other, Holly Bank, is 2 miles away, offering teaching training and further education courses (pre-degree level) only and where 600 students are based. As far as undergrads are concerned though, the city centre site's the important one. The main building is an [ITAL]overbearing[EITAL] network[ITAL] [EITAL]of brown concrete boxes joined together by steps and walkways and a bridge arching over a part of the River Calder. There's another new building a short walk from the central campus at Larchfield Mills. It's light brick and glass 70s architecture,[ITAL] but not too bad. The tranquillity is shattered by [EITAL]the Huddersfield ring road which borders the campus. [ITAL] It looks better at night when you can't see the buildings too well and the lights from thousands of tiny department windows make the place look like Gotham City. The odd window is broken though and buildings have overspilt into portakabins.[EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL]The University is very hospitable and cosmopolitan. Overcrowding and scissors-and-paste type efficiency often give students a bumpy ride, but as far as most are concerned, the bumpier the better. A lot of events centre around the small handful of fun palaces in town, so there's a strong sense of student community in the centre. There's a raucous, rough lifestyle, with many students taking the attitude 'I'm doing a degree, aren't I? I don't need to bother with anything else that smacks of self-improvement'. As a result, activities revolve around alcohol and ents more than clubs and student politics - great for short-term kicks, but there's more long-term life satisfaction in switching to decaffeinated coffee. Still, few would 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 [BULL] Manchester: 23miles[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA]Huddersfield first found its feet as an industrial town peddling textiles. It still is industrial, although cloth has turned to economic sloth and various recessions over the last 80 years have left the town in considerable recess. [ITAL]There's now a slow and aged pace about the place, some might even say boring, definitely not a bright-lights-big-city - although Leeds is close enough for those who crave a rave. The architecture reflects the tone - rather grand, though sooty[EITAL], Georgian buildings, coexisting with the more modern features of the shopping centre. [ITAL]Anyone arriving by train will be impressed at their first sight of Huddersfield, but [EITAL]it's downhill from there. In fact, talking of hills, there are gradients steeper than Chris Bonington's staircase, only the jet-powered mountain bikes survive. [ITAL]Don't try the walk to Holly Bank without 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 station which has direct lines to Manchester, Leeds (to both towns every 1/2hr when on time), Sheffield and Liverpool. Intercity service to London (3hrs, 1/hr) via Wakefield and other connections to Birmingham, Edinburgh and Bristol.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] National Express Services to London (ú12, 4:20hrs, 4/day), Sheffield (ú4, 1:35hrs, 2/day), Birmingham (ú10.50, 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 smeggy. The A62 is probably the best pick up point or take a 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 required even going downhill. And then there's the usual 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 [BULL] Computer workstations: 1,000[ESTAT][EBOLD][PARA]The Central Library has 4 floors and there are 3 smaller libraries: 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 6mths (1992): 13.9%[ESTAT][HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]The University has incorporated Huddersfield College of Technology and Huddersfield Teacher Training College, which specialised in education, accountancy, law, business, textiles and 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. Various other specialist handbooks are available from the University, and one from the SU.
