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Message board > Members' Opinion Polls > Members' poll: I remember when... 
  

I remember when...
you could walk past Sainsbury's without noticing it was there  33%
everything in the Bridge Street accommodation was wonky, leaking, or live  45%
Burrell's Field only had the big houses  3%
half the computers in the computer room would have blue screens which you couldn't unlock  35%
the first model C ergs arrived at the boathouse  13%
the rising bollards in Trinity Street were put in  18%
the bar was in the corner of Great Court  25%
the dining hall went through the phase of putting banana on everything (e.g. Salmon Caprice)  48%
the bop involved a live DJ, not a computer  33%
all the furniture in College rooms was like the stuff in the boathouse now  35%
no one had swipe cards  10%
Cindy's was Cindy's  8%
Cindy's was 5th Avenue  58%
Eden Lily was more than a photography shop  33%
The Baron of Beef and the Mitre were dingy pubs  58%
The maths department was in town  38%
BP2 (Janousek) was BP1  20%
BP4 (Aylings) was BP1  0%
BP3 was BP1  3%
the river flooded  55%
the river froze  13%
the river was covered with green scum (and I mean the whole river, not just the odd patch)  18%
there was a NatWest at Great Gate  45%
Formal Hall cost three pounds or less  38%
you paid for meals with little tickets with the number of courses written on them  53%
there was a Z Blue Boar  40%
novices rowed 15 minutes after the seniors  35%
none of the above  30%
Total: 40 members' votes
by Martin - Tue 11th Oct 2005, 8:28am
So I suppose that this gives us a kind of timeline of events - a history according to FaT... In chronological order:
0%  BP4 (Aylings) was BP1 
10% the first model C ergs arrived at the boathouse 
10% Cindy's was Cindy's 
14% the rising bollards in Trinity Street were put in 
14% no one had swipe cards 
14% the river froze 
17% BP2 (Janousek) was BP1 
17% the river was covered with green scum (and I mean the whole river, not just the odd patch) 
24% the bar was in the corner of Great Court 
3%  Burrell's Field only had the big houses 
3%  BP3 was BP1 
31% the bop involved a live DJ, not a computer 
31% none of the above 
34% you could walk past Sainsbury's without noticing it was there 
34% The maths department was in town 
38% half the computers in the computer room would have blue screens which you couldn't unlock 
38% Eden Lily was more than a photography shop 
38% novices rowed 15 minutes after the seniors 
41% all the furniture in College rooms was like the stuff in the boathouse now 
41% Formal Hall cost three pounds or less 
45% there was a Z Blue Boar 
52% everything in the Bridge Street accommodation was wonky, leaking, or live 
52% the dining hall went through the phase of putting banana on everything (e.g. Salmon Caprice) 
52% there was a NatWest at Great Gate 
55% Cindy's was 5th Avenue 
55% you paid for meals with little tickets with the number of courses written on them 
59% the river flooded 
62% The Baron of Beef and the Mitre were dingy pubs 
by jpd - Tue 11th Oct 2005, 8:38am
Martin said: So I suppose that this gives us a kind of timeline of events - a history according to FaT... In chronological order:
...
24% the bar was in the corner of Great Court 
3%  Burrell's Field only had the big houses 
3%  BP3 was BP1 
31% the bop involved a live DJ, not a computer 
...
I think you have some ordering issues here.
by Martin - Tue 11th Oct 2005, 8:47am
jpd said: I think you have some ordering issues here.
Indeed I do. Excel being s***te. Correcting these and doing a bit of reordering gives us:
0%  Aylings was replaced by the karlich as the men's 1st boat 
3%  Adrian and Butler houses were built at Burrell's Field 
3%  the karlich was replaced by the 1st janousek (BP2) as men's 1st boat 
10% the first model C ergs arrived at the boathouse 
10% Cindy's closed  
14% the rising bollards in Trinity Street were put in 
14% swipe cards were introduced 
14% the river froze 
17% the first janousek was replaced by the new janousek (BP1) as the men's 1st boat
17% the river was covered with green scum (and I mean the whole river, not just the odd patch) 
24% the new college bar opened
31% boppers were entertained by a DJ for the last time 
34% Sainsburys shopfront expanded to more than 10 feet 
34% The maths department moved out of town
38% computer room was overhauled - blue screens of death were upgraded
38% Eden Lily closed
38% until now novices rowed 15 minutes after the seniors 
41% plastic coated chairs replaced in college and moved to the boathouse
41% cost of formal hall rose above 3 quid 
45% Z Blue Boar renamed 
52% Bridge Street revamped, wonks removed 
52% bananas taken off the Hall menu 
52% Nat West at Great Gate closed 
55% 5th Avenue closed  
55% the new payment system in hall was set up, little paper tickets replaced 
59% the river flooded 
62% the baron of beef and mitre were renovated and turned into crappy bars 
69% of current website voters were current or past members of college
by Martin - Tue 11th Oct 2005, 8:48am
... for the youth of today it is worth noting that this is not entirely accurate!
by RTT - Tue 11th Oct 2005, 10:01am
Martin said: ... for the youth of today it is worth noting that this is not entirely accurate!
Wasn't the Aylings replaced by the first Janousek (now BP2)?
by Martin - Tue 11th Oct 2005, 10:33am
RTT said: Wasn't the Aylings replaced by the first Janousek (now BP2)?
Few people are sure... have a look at this. (The Karlich's page is here.)
by Dubya - Wed 12th Oct 2005, 6:29pm
This page also seems to imply that girls have short memories - none of them remember the river freezing! Alternatively this might cast doubt on other conclusions drawn from poll results...
by Sarah - Wed 12th Oct 2005, 6:42pm
no it doesn't imply that girls have short memories, it implies that the girls that voted have not been around for as long... or alternatively the only people still hanging around here many years after graduating are blokes
ps I'm not voting as I think it's pointless because I don't remember any of these things, having spent my undergraduate life in Durham and only having my first outing on the Cam last week - however I do remember the Wear freezing in 1996 and the night club formerly known as Rixy's shutting down - strange how the memories are not so different...
by Andy - Thu 13th Oct 2005, 10:34am
is klootz still open? i remember banging my head on the ceiling when i was younger. and i'm not that tall...
by Tom C - Thu 13th Oct 2005, 2:34pm
salmon in hall (2001-2002 or earlier): 53%
formal hall < 3 quid (until oct 2004 for undergrads): 39%

this would suggest that maybe half of website users have never been to formal hall as undergraduates... was it not so popular in the old days?
by It's not real money anyway.. - Thu 13th Oct 2005, 5:33pm
Oct 2004, really? Maybe the drunken blanks extended all the way back to buying tickets in my first year then.. Or maybe I'm just a reckless student who pays not enough attention to how much money I'm spending [my empty overdraft would no doubt agree]
by Simon - Fri 14th Oct 2005, 9:00am
Tom C said: formal hall < 3 quid (until oct 2004 for undergrads): 39%
I'm sure Special Formal Hall was exactly £3 in my first year. I would guess that quite a few people answered this by going off SFH prices instead of normal FH. Graham will be able to discuss the popularity of normal FH in the late 1990s.
by RTT - Fri 14th Oct 2005, 9:33am
Simon said: Graham will be able to discuss the popularity of normal FH in the late 1990s.
I once went to normal FH and there were only four of us. Our waiter asked if we'd mind if he did things very slowly so he wouldn't have to go and help out on top table. We didn't, so he proceeded to bring us everything one at a time and then collect individual items of cutlery and take them back to the kitchen.
by gf - Fri 14th Oct 2005, 9:43am
RTT said: I once went to normal FH and there were only four of us.
Four? Pah! Wednesday FH attendance fell to 3 on occasion.
by RTT - Fri 14th Oct 2005, 9:48am
gf said: Four? Pah! Wednesday FH attendance fell to 3 on occasion.
Three? Hah! Two of the aforementioned group of four once went and were themselves the only party.
by Simon - Fri 14th Oct 2005, 12:03pm
RTT said: Three? Hah! Two of the aforementioned group of four once went and were themselves the only party.
Well, on the other end of the scale, I once took a party of 30 to Formal Hall despite the "only yourself and two guests rule".

We should have a thread on the made up names people have used to sign in Formal Hall guests.
by Tom C - Fri 14th Oct 2005, 10:18pm
Simon said: I'm sure Special Formal Hall was exactly £3 in my first year. I would guess that quite a few people answered this by going off SFH prices instead of normal FH. Graham will be able to discuss the popularity of normal FH in the late 1990s.
special formal hall is for losers who can't take their drink.
by Ingers - Mon 17th Oct 2005, 8:29pm
Simon said:

We should have a thread on the made up names people have used to sign in Formal Hall guests.
There is only one answer to this:

M. Parker

Fisher will confirm that this is the only permissible name for a fictional Boatie.