I have happy memories of the huts where I lived during my first two years at UCNS (1958-60) before moving to Unit B. As a fresher I shared a room with Dave Haslam in the first room along the corridor, and somehow we were also in the same hut in the end room (much larger) during second year. That must have been the year we set a world record (held for one day) for the largest number of people in a telephone box. I think we had 16 in the box. I was near the top as I was much lighter in those days! Dave and I thought we would try for the record of how many students we could fit into one of the hut loos. We encouraged all members of the hut to participate, and there were a few visitors as well. I remember we had Clive Borst and John Grundy in the hut and I believe we had packed about 14 into the loo when Dave and I managed to get the door closed and tied a rope around the handle so that no one could get out. The yells from inside got louder and louder! I don't think we were very popular for a while after that! I also remember another hut that I lived in for a while. It was Mary Glover's hut behind the library. Mary had a spare room that she would rent out to research students, and she had strict rules about her residents’ behaviour! I have one abiding memory of that hut and that is of the hedgehogs snuffling outside the window each night. For the first few nights I couldn't make out what on earth was making the noise but a flashlight brought the answer.

Colin James (1962)

Photo: John Myatt (1957) photographed the interior corridor of Hut 1