The cheapest, biggest and definitely the most fun accommodation at Salford, it has housed students for over 40 years and has a long history, ex-residents like myself always look back on the times we had there. Castle Irwell is due to be replaced by the new accommodation being constructed on campus in September 2015. You can read about that here.

Onto the important bit:

The character building

You will be living with 10 other students in the houses so be prepared. You’ll meet students that you will get on with tremendously but you’ll also meet someone you will no doubt argue with, but such is life. Approach your new housemates with an open mind and you’ll get along just fine, unless they leave the hob on and almost burn your house down, that was an interesting time for us.

The mess

Yes, unless you live with 2+ neat freaks you are either going to suffer from a horrific kitchen or spend hours cleaning it, whether on your own or with a few of your new housemates. It got so bad in my house (54) that one chap had a whole god damn kitchen set in his bedroom with appliances such as a camp cooker, fridge and microwave, which is impressive considering the size of the bed rooms. This will be a common occurance. 

The noise

Be prepared for noise, particularly during the welcome period in September as the house side of Irwell turns into one big party with multiple houses coming together in celebration of leaving home. It is a great time to meet students from difference backgrounds and forge new friendships so make the most of it. That said, it turns into a very peaceful accommodation with the occasional ambulance siren down Cromwell Road.

The atmosphere

There are roughly 1000 students in Castle Irwell so there is an immediate sense of community upon moving in, it truly is a great place to be, if only for your first year. During the warmer months Castle Irwell generates a festival like atmosphere, with everyone going onto the big green field, lighting up a BBQ, using an extension cable for their speakers and enjoying the rare sunshine. There are very few things that are better than a hot day and a BBQ.

The internationals

The wonderful Erasmus programme brings students from all over the world to Salford and they generally live in Castle Irwell between the houses 30 and 40. Some of them are only here for 3 months so they make the most of it and they party hard, don’t miss out on spending some time with these guys. Many of them will invite you to their country and I highly recommend you take up that offer if you have the means to do so.

The green space

Castle Irwell is surrounded by the River Irwell and the green areas are huge, there’s a big open field which everyone is welcome too and then there’s the sports pitches behind the accommodation which house 4 football pitches and 2 rugby pitches. Don’t sit in your room all year is what I’m getting at.

The heat

You know those radiators you can control at your parents’ house? Yeah Castle Irwell doesn’t have those; instead it has a mentally unhinged boiler system that goes on a wobbler every so often. It’s not that bad mind as during the colder months it’s great to walk into a warm and cosy house. Bring your shorts.

The spiders

Spiders love Castle Irwell but students evidently don’t share the same affection for spiders. You can call up the main office and request bug control, they will spray some weird liquorice substance on the windows and from my brief conversation with the bloke it apparently forces them elsewhere. They keep the flies out though, think about that.

The gate takes forever

Ah yes, the gate that takes an age to open. You’ll be waiting 5 minutes and whilst it opens your mother will inevitably explain how you “should be careful” and “remember that chicken needs eating before tomorrow”. I imagine the turning circle of a Mærsk liner is faster than that gate.

Thanks for reading.

Alex studied at Salford for 4 years, graduated in 2013 and in the same year went on to start his 1st sabbatical year as Vice President for the Science and Technlogy College. Alex is currently in his second term as Vice President until July 2015. Author: Alex Thorp Email: vpst-ussu@salford.ac.uk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thorpussu Twitter: https://twitter.com/SalfordVPST