Campus memories 

Nicola Paling (Professional Studies in Teaching and Learning 2007) 

I was really impressed with the Parkinson Building, I spent many a weekend in there revising and reading, finding information for assignments. I was the first person in my to go to University and was proud to invite my children and parents to my graduation ceremony. Standing on the steps of the library was such a proud moment. As a mature student studying evenings at Leeds I still felt part of the wider university community. I feel proud to say I graduated from Leeds and still support up and coming students through the footsteps fund. I also donated to the new library fund and opted to have my name on a brick in the new library adjacent to the Parkinson building as a permanent reminder of my time at Leeds. 

Joanna Ellis (Microbiology 1982) 

It was in December 1978, just before Christmas. There was a small group of us who wanted to study microbiology and had travelled in pretty cold and bad weather to Leeds and were shown around the campus by some of the students, including the department, the library and red route. We were then treated to a Christmas dinner with some of the staff and students by the department. I was so impressed by the campus, how welcoming and friendly everyone was – how could I not choose Leeds! 

Clare Butler Ellis (Physics 1982) 

The thing I remember most vividly from that visit was how friendly the staff that I met were.  As a shy girl planning to study a 'boy's subject' I was quite nervous that it would be really blokey, but Leeds Physics Department was the most welcoming and friendly of all the universities I visited, and that was what made me choose it.  I think it was the same for quite a few of us, as there ended up being 16 women on the course that year, whereas previously there had been usually 2 or 3. 

I loved the old buildings on campus too – particularly the Parkinson Building and the Great Hall – the solid history behind the university was so evident.  The architecture of the Physics department was obviously less attractive, but at the time it seemed modern and forward-looking, which was important for a subject such as physics.  I was most impressed by Red Route, which was the longest corridor I had seen and to this day I have the urge to ride a bicycle down it! 

I fell in love with Leeds Uni on that day, and spent 6 very happy years there. 

Steph Binks (Management 2014) 

I loved how close the campus was to the city and that it's one campus. Even though it was a really cold day and even snowed a bit, it didn't put me off. We were also confused about the hills: how can I go into a building at ground level and then go upstairs and come out on ground level? I felt like Leeds would be home. 

Sarah Stone (Biology 2005) 

I came on a biology open day. We had a long talk on fruit flies, ate lunch amongst the biology specimens and got stuck in lots of traffic trying to get home again. Safe to say my mum was not impressed by our visit and hoped I wouldn't choose Leeds, but thankfully she only told me this afterwards so I could make up my own mind! 

Gisela Alvarado (Corporate Communications and Public Relations 2016) 

I remember visiting the campus on the same day I arrived to Leeds from Mexico. I was jet-lagged but couldn't wait to go and see the place where I'll be spending most of my time for the next 12 months. I walked all the way from Parkinson building to LUBS and instantly loved the vibe, I felt welcome. That same day was Mexico's Independence Day (September 15th) so I had arranged to meet with some members of the Mexican Student Association at Leeds Uni and they invited me to celebrate our national holiday...in the UK! I thought I was starting my stay at Leeds on the right foot and I wasn't wrong :) 

Rob Beardsworth (Physics 1978)   

The different accents of people - I came from Lancashire and during the freshers' visit I asked someone where she was from...she was from Surrey, but her accent made me think she had said ‘sorry’ - so like an idiot, I asked again, more slowly! 

Suzanna Colley (Arabic Studies 2007)    

Coming from a rural village I remember being surprised that a city could be so green and loved the trees, and so shocked outside the Parkinson building that a student ran for a bus and just missed it, but another pulled up straight away. Buses weren't even 1 per day in the countryside then so it was a real change of pace! 

Hilary Vit (German 1983) 

I travelled north by train from my home in Surrey in Winter 1979, having been offered an interview. There had already been a lot of snow, but my parents reasoned that, provided the train arrived in Kings Cross from Leeds on time, I should travel. Unfortunately there were problems due to snow en route, with the consequence that we only arrived in Leeds early evening, whereas that should have been the time I was due home! These were , of course, the days before mobile phones! Queues at the few public phone boxes were long, as everyone was stranded. I telephoned Dr Sid Donald, as he was Admissions Tutor. He had previously been a warden at Bodington Hall, so that was the number listed.  

When I spoke to the warden, Mr Knibbs, he was very understanding, suggesting I get a taxi to the Hall where accommodation would be found. However, the few taxis that were running soon stopped returning to the station. I phoned again. As many will be aware, Bodington was a long way out. The warden doubted whether he could even dig his car out, let alone reach me, but said he would try, with the help of students! In case he was successful, he asked me to describe my appearance. 

He and his helper rescued me some hours after my arrival in Leeds! On arrival at Bodington, he and his wife offered me food, a hot bath, and a bed for the night in their own home, as they felt so sorry for me. They even lent me their daughter's nightie! 

In the morning they phoned the German Department and arranged for me to have an interview. Thankfully I was not only given an interview, but offered a place too. How could I possibly go anywhere else? 

Ling Li (MA in Professional Language and Intercultural Studies 2020) 

On 20 September 2020, I moved up to Leeds from Bristol and it was my first visit to the campus. It was a sunny day with blue sky. The campus was green, leafy but quiet because it was the start of Leeds’ local lockdown. It was unique experience because I could hear the bird singing and enjoy the tranquillity of campus that would not have been there if it was not during a lockdown.  

Erik Resendiz Mora (PhD Chemical Engineering 2021)  

I actually saw the campus for the first time the day I started my degree. It was a magnificent cold January day and I was having a look at the campus map located outside the Great Hall, being a shy person I felt too insecure to ask where the Energy building was, so I was trying to find out myself. Then, a very friendly lady wearing red Uni of Leeds gear approached to me and made me feel secure to raise my questions and kindly led me to the building. It was amazing to see the harmony between old buildings and new modern facilities. And as I walked through St George Field I recalled about Pablo Fanque's grave so I did not miss the chance of taking a photo and send it over to my friend who is a fan of the Beatles. I guess my first day at Uni was simply wonderful. 

Ruth Marris-Macaulay (History 1970)  

It poured with rain all the way north from London – my parents drove me Leeds. It was still bucketing down when we reached my digs in Stanningley in a soot covered terrace house which opened right onto the unpaved street. Despite the weather and the huge blackened city where I was later told the birds were more inclined to cough than sing and where you took your chances when you hung laundry out to dry because you might have to wash it all again, I was excited about my new adventure. Soon I was waving goodbye to my weeping mother and heading into the union building in my green minidress and white Coureges-style boots ready for whatever came next. It was teeming with people who were as excited as I was and when I found that my roommate Pat Grogan shared the same birthday as I did, I knew I'd come to the right place. 

Paul Hatton (Medicine 1979; Physiology 1982; Public Health 1988) 

Cold and dreary Wednesday, in November, 1975, travelling to Leeds on train from Midlands. Walked up through Leeds from station, following map to the Headrow, then past Leeds General Infirmary and to the then Medical School in Thoresby Place. Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, number one in charts, blaring out from workmans ghetto blaster! Impressive Victorian building the now called Old Medical School (Worsley New Medical School Building on central campus still under construction), with entrance hallway tiled in beautiful Burmantoft ceramic green tiles and stone floor. Old fashioned Wooden Porter's Lodge in hallway, with Porter pointing where to go.  

Talk on medical school life and expectations of hard academic graft over 5 years from then Medical Dean, the late softly spoken Professor Derek Wood, sitting amongst 100 or so other would be medical students from all over UK and beyond, in old fashioned wooden bench tiered Victorian Lecture theatre. Bench tops bore various inscribed carvings through the ages by previous generations of students.  

Now a retired doctor, I have my 40th Medical School Graduation Reunion Dinner this August.  Where has the time gone? Memories remain undimmed. 

Hollie Tansey (Fashion Marketing 2019) 

I never wanted to stay in my hometown of Leeds for university. That was until I visited the campus and felt like I was in a totally new city. I loved the community feeling of a campus uni, and how close all of the different buildings were. I loved the small cafes and pubs nearby, and the red brick buildings that lined the edge of campus. I think it's such a beautiful university and I have never regretted staying in my home city for uni.  

Mike Jones (Chemistry 1985) 

When in Lower Sixth form I went to visit a schoolmate from the year above, and stayed overnight in Barbier House, in the now sadly-defunct Boddington Hall. After a cursory tour of the campus, we spent the evening doing the Otley Run, and culminated the session at a party in the Barbier JCR. The visit showed me the other side of university life, and I was very happy to live in Barbier during my first year.  I even managed to get a good 2.1! 

John Davidson (Economics 1975) 

I recollect that the first day of term was Thursday 5 October 1972 and that my dad drove me over the Pennines on (I think) the Sunday before. After checking in at my digs in Armley he brought me, and the three other lads with whom I was sharing, to the steps of the Parkinson Building. I had never been to Leeds before – all my decisions had been based on university prospectuses. Leeds had come top of my list as it had a very good football team and it wasn't too far from home. I must admit to being slightly overwhelmed by the sheer size of the campus but quickly came to realise that I really only needed to know the location of the Economics Department, the Lecture Theatre Block, the Brotherton Library, Red Route and most important of all, the Union Building. 

Alex Kent (Food Science 1967) 

I had never been further north than Cambridge until my interview and didn't have a great deal of time to look around at the time. My life journey started at the end of September 1963, when I arrived in Leeds, clutching a smallish suitcase, and reporting to digs which had been on the condemned list for some twenty years. A back-to-back on the same street as the Pud School and a stone's throw from what was to become my local "The Fenton". The guys who shared the digs were a great mob, and the landlady considerably kinder than her boorish ex-RAF husband. I had an attic room, which was somewhat draughty but more than adequate. Festivities started with a three-day fresher's conference. No guided tours - just a series of excursions to the Great Hall, The Mowatt Jones lounge, and wonder at the range of activity that could be enjoyed - every offering from a Gilbert & Sullivan Society [declined] to a film club [accepted]. 

The Saturday night hops at the Union, when some boys, still shy from this new exposure to a mixed society, clung to the walls with their pints, allowing the girls to show off their moves in the middle of the hall. Different sort of wallflower. Glutton for punishment, later in the year, I signed up for the job at helping at the next Freshers' Conference, hoping to help other newcomers fill their boots with some of the fun that I had had. Four years of unalloyed joy - never to be repeated, and always treasured. 

Sandra Pescod (Physics 1980) 

I came for an interview in autumn 1976. I'd travelled up by train from London and stayed with family friends in Horsforth. My first memory of campus was, inevitably, the imposing Parkinson building but then I was pretty soon bowled over by the stark brutality of the EC Stoner building. Everything seemed to be on such a large scale. After all these years though, my abiding memory is being shown around the research deck by a post grad student. His enthusiasm and passion for what he was doing was amazing and it really sold me on Leeds. After a rainy day in Manchester and clouds in Sheffield, the sun came out when I visited Leeds and I knew I'd made the right choice. 

Allan Harris (Medicine 1973)

My interview was in the Old Medical School down by the LGI in Great George Street. I was ushered into the Dean's office for a face to face interview and it must have been a long day as he almost immediately fell asleep. I waited until he awoke, he muttered something like 'Very interesting' and I was offered a place to start in 1967. It was the era of 'Monty Python' and it rather felt a bit surreal but I was not complaining about the brevity of the interview process. 

David Church (Medicine 1990) 

I had never been to Leeds before the day my parents delivered me for the start of the first term. It was so far from home, and so far north, it must have been almost on the border with Scotland - although having arrived, I soon discovered Scotland was many many miles away!  

I had chosen a campus hall on the basis on convenience for access to medical school, library, SU and hospital from a map, considering lack of personal transport and location of main train station; and mention of a piano in the hall common room. It was not long before I found a nearby full church organ to play, as well as the International Pool complex, City Library, and other facilities at the Uni and in the Town.  

It was a dry day, which helped with the journey and unpacking; and met by a friendly bunch of returnees to Hall as well as other new students, as well as the slightly 'interesting' Hall staff. 

Michael Ward-Penny (Law 1972) 

I was 18 years old and had yet to take my "A" Levels at Windsor Grammar School. I was invited to attend an interview at the Faculty of Law so had a very long train journey from Bracknell via London, negotiating the Underground across to Kings Cross Station, then up to Leeds. I arrived in the middle of a dense fog (perhaps an indication of my studies to come!), managed to get a bus up to the University and found my way to Lytton Terrace for the interview with Professor Latham Brown. 

In my brand new sports jacket, I was very much a "hick from the sticks" I felt totally out of place and disorientated, I was well-balanced with a chip on both shoulders, how could university be for someone like me from a working-class family (admittedly with aspirations!)? I could not understand why the Faculty of Law offices were in a scruffy terraced house? I saw little or nothing of the campus because of the dense fog, but somehow managed to make the return journey and get back home. 

I duly travelled up to Leeds to start my degree, this time in glorious sunshine, which disclosed the full horrors of Leeds and the University to my unbelieving (Southern softie) eyes. I have no doubt that if it had not been for the dense fog on my first visit I would never have gone to Leeds and thereby missed out on a tremendous unrepeatable experience which helped me so much in later life. 

Rhonda Marshall (Biochemistry 2020)   

I remember the welcoming feeling around the campus, there was so much to look at and explore. The staff were very friendly and it makes it better that the city is also beautiful. Going to Leeds has actually convinced me to move to Leeds to live for the foreseeable! The cherry on top of the pie was that the campus was fully accessible. My father has difficulties walking and it was amazing to go somewhere and not have to worry about steps and lack of access to lifts. 

Malcolm Ouldcott (Geology 1964)   

I took the tram up from the railway station and met somebody (do not know who he was) and he asked if I played chess. When I said yes, he produced a board and we played for about half an hour and I beat him all hands up, at which he said I was accepted. No problem. 

Winnie Tam (Medical Imaging 2021) 

The architecture! The mix of brutalist and red brick, and red route and of course, the prettiest building in the world - Parkinson!  

Alasdair Carter (Medicine 1975) 

I remember staying in a caravan on the east side of Leeds with my parents prior to starting. In the evening I could see the outline of Leeds in the distance against the sunset. Being a country mouse I wasn't sure I was ready. Everywhere seemed big and unknown. However I got settled into Charles Morris Hall and found 11 other people on my floor in a similar situation. I guess the rest is history! 

Jeremy Metliss (Music 1996) 

I came up from London looked around the campus and then headed for the Uni bar. I'd hardly drank any beer before and my friend plied me with Newcastle Brown Ale. Bottle after bottle. I was ill in the toilets and then staggered to the train station for home. I still can't touch Newcy Brown. 

Sarah Cashon (Geography 2018) 

The thing that I remember the most about my first visit to campus is the Red Route. We were told it was the longest corridor in Europe, and from walking along the full length of it, I can confirm that it was! This was symbolic of my experience that day; everything seemed bigger, which left me really excited to start my journey at the University of Leeds.  

Dave Cliff (Computer Science 1987) 

It was February 1984. My dad drove me up from our home in south Oxfordshire – no-one in our family had gone to university before and I think he was as excited as I was. We arrived, drove a circuit of the roads around the campus to get some bearings, and parked at the Merrion Centre, where dad installed himself in a cafe for the day while I headed off to the open-day. It was during a bitterly cold snap and there was already roughly an inch of snow on the ground with more falling steadily, the flakes thick in the air and limiting visibility to maybe 30 or 40 metres.   
Coming onto campus from the Merrion Centre, walking down what is now called Discovery Way, is something I can still remember vividly – the entire length of the EC Stoner Building on the right, its brutalist architecture like some moon-base from a sci-fi movie, a building so long that its end points were soon lost in the snow; then the ramp up to Chancellors Court, the outlandish contours of the Roger Stevens Building emerging from the flurries, and the Level 10 walkway arcing high above. I'd grown up in a small market town surrounded by fields, and the sheer scale of the campus concrete architecture, the unified design over such a huge development, was viscerally impressive to my 18yr old eyes.  
 
My lasting memory from 35 years ago is the architecture, the view from Level 10 of the shapes and lights of the city just visible through the snowfall, the very warm welcome from the Leeds academics and students, and the feeling that this was quite definitely the kind of place I quite wanted to spend the next three years of my life in, which I then did, and for which I remain very thankful indeed. 

Madeleine Rann (Dentistry 2021)  

My first visit to the campus was on the open day in 2015. I remember walking across the campus, starting from the lovely red brick Great Hall, past the Roger Stevens pond (unfortunately we didn't see the famous ducklings that day) and made my way towards the Worsley Building, taking in all the architecture and campus artwork en route. I was greeted by a lovely student in her burgundy scrubs and instantly fell in love with the Worsley Building, from its funky architecture to the glass walls surrounding the state-of-the-art dental clinical skills lab. My visit was the start of my love of leeds and was the reason that I placed the University of Leeds at the top of my UCAS choices. 7 years on, graduated and working, with friends I made along the way, I still know I made the right decision, that started on that day. 

Edna Tan (Accounting  and Information Systems 1994) 

On my first visit, I was overwhelmed by the University, not knowing what the future holds. This anxiety was soon thawed by the Yorkshire warmth of the University staff and students. The beauty of the Clothworkers Court's redbrick architecture was mesmerising. Warmth and beauty made me choose the University of Leeds ... and the best years of my life were spent here! 

Ruth Slater (Pharmacology 1992)

My first visit was for an interview during clearing. I remember the trees in the car park. 

Hope Williard (Medieval Studies 2017) 

I came to the University on April Fool's Day 2012 for an interview with the scholar who would become my PhD supervisor. My first impression of the campus was the striking beauty of the Parkinson Building tower and the Brotherton Library. My supervisor had arranged for two of his students to spend some time with me talking about the city and their experiences of studying there, so I came away with the impression that Leeds was just a beautiful place but a wonderful community, too. 

Malcolm Berwin (Textiles and Economics, 1951)

September 1944. There were no cars. Not many people - 3500 students. I found the Textile Department in Cloth Hall Court where Miss Euler, Professor J.B.Speakman's secretary, signed me in and showed me the Department. I then went to the Union where I signed in (I am a life member). 

I found my way to the Parkinson building, not long constructed and not open. A porter took me up the tower for a view of my home city. 
So started a happy few years interrupted after one year by three years of national service in the RAF. 

Mike Hughes (Sociology 1985)     

The overwhelming memory was the sense that this was what I expected a university to feel like. It just instantly felt right. 

Kevin Layne (Applied and Professional Ethics 2016)    

The one time that I visited the campus was for my graduation since I was a distance learning student. I came all the way from Barbados just for my graduation. The first thing I noticed was how beautiful the campus was. I loved the mix of modern and old style architecture. I also found that the campus was huge! It took me quite a long time to find where the graduation ceremony was!  

Nick Smith (Psychology with Philosophy 1997)  

I went up to Leeds with a friend from school and we both loved the place. Our impression was in no doubt skewed by the hungover volunteer student saying that he had had enough and would buy us a drink in the Old Bar - we accepted! Back in London on the way home, we walked past a CAMRA beer festival on the way to the coach. Needless to say, we went in and immediately got befriended by five heavily bearded motorcycle enthusiasts. We made our escape – we were way out of our depth – and got home late and in quite a bit of trouble. It was worth it. We had such a great day and time in Leeds that we both decided that it would be our first choice. I got the grades, he didn't, and I had the best three years of my life. 

Ian Miller (Genetics 1983) 

My interview in a little house where virology was based close to the old physics admin building. I remember a very friendly welcome and a pretty short tour! The first impression was of a very long corridor, red route, linking the campus buildings together. Closeness to the city and lots of concrete and open spaces. I was really made to feel welcome, and that made Leeds become my first choice university. My other choices were Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham and UCL. I had a great time in Leeds, lots of music and bars, and of course lots of work too. I regularly try to get Leeds onto the agenda of my students now that I'm an A level teacher. 

Steven Conway (Law 1994)  

I had secured a place to study Law in 1990 but took a year out before starting my studies in September 1991.  One of the main reasons I wanted to study at Leeds was because my then favourite band, The Sisters of Mercy hailed from Leeds, and their lead singer, Andrew Eldritch had studied Mandarin Chinese at the University of Leeds.  I so wanted to go to Leeds that I didn't need to visit before I secured my place. 

In February 1991, the Sisters had their 10th-anniversary gigs, with one night at the University and a second night at the Poly.  I had set off from Suffolk in my Austin Metro, which unfortunately broke down on the way, so I had to hitchhike the rest of the way.  As I was penniless, I had been intending on sleeping in my car, but having abandoned it, I had nowhere to sleep, and no money for a hotel. 

My first visit to the campus was just hours before the gig at the Refectory where I wandered around the campus, and watched all the students as they went about their business, full of excitement that this was going to be my university. I went to the gig, which was awesome, especially to see The Sisters in their home town, on the 10th anniversary of their first gig, but afterwards I began to wonder where on earth I would sleep for the night.  I roamed the campus looking for somewhere to stay, and eventually, some hours later, and feeling pretty cold and exhausted, as I was trying to get into Charles Morris Hall I was caught by a night security guard who, seeing me with my rucksack asked what I was up to.   

I explained my predicament, but also that I was coming to Leeds the following September. I was even able to tell him the names of some of the law tutors, and I think, notwithstanding how I looked with my long hair and biker jacket that I persuaded him that I meant no harm but that I was in something of a tricky situation. 

He told me to follow him, and I thought, 'I am in trouble now', I was trespassing after all. He led me through the campus all the way to the Rupert Beckett building where he was stationed.  He took me through the building to a seating area at the back and to my surprise, told me that I could sleep there for the night.  I was amazed. I had thought I was in trouble and that my first visit to the campus was not going to end well at all.  I know he probably wasn't allowed to let me stay there, but I have never forgotten the kindness of that University of Leeds night security guard. 

Heather Dougherty (French and Management Studies 1988)  

I had an appointment at the office of the Sub Dean of Arts (never did find out what that meant) with other potential students, but back in the days of no mobile phones or Google maps I lost my way between the station and the University. I knew to head first towards the tower of the Town Hall, but obviously went wrong there and soon found myself trudging through slush towards a slip road onto the ring road, wearing entirely inappropriate footwear. I eventually made it to the Parkinson Building, flustered, damp-footed and late, but was still made to feel welcome by the mysterious Sub Dean. The experience obviously didn't put me off, or earn me a black mark with the University authorities, as a few months later I returned, as a student. 

Stephen Hammerton (Civil Engineering 1970)   

I travelled to Leeds by train from King's Cross in February 1967 for an interview. Leeds was still an industrial city. It was raining, it looked as if the the buildings had been carved from coal, and the gutters ran with dirty black water. By contrast, the Civil Engineering department stood out. It generated excitement and a hope that I would be offered a place. 

I was and my life changed. A three year degree, postgrad PhD research, meeting and marrying (and still together 50 years on). I could go on and boast about Leeds being the venue for the greatest music of all time. Wonderful! 

Chang Yoke Poon (Electrical and Electronic Engineering 1979) 

It was not only my first visit to campus but also my first flight and first overseas journey. I had to drive from Malaysia to Singapore to take my first flight to Gatwick airport and catch a connecting flight to Leeds. Then I had to take a taxi to James Baillie flats in the cold autumn weather. My head was buzzing with excitement and trepidation of all these new experience for a simple village kid. Good thing the house master was a kind gentleman (can't remember his name now) who made me feel welcome. I had no friends in a foreign country where everything seems strange to me. No Google to find out things then only travel guides. My housemates only arrived later. 

Thalía Darwish (MA Media Industries 2014) 

I loved everything about the campus, how it looked and felt. I was super excited to start my MA and meet people from different places and cultures.  

Nina Konrad (Textile Design 1976) 

My dad drove me so that I could look around the University, I also had an interview. I was so excited, I was the first person from our family to have this opportunity, and my dad was very proud. 

Natalia Novello (Theatre and Performance 2021)  

I remember arriving to the Marjorie and Arnold Ziff building, and was confused by the level numbering system (as we were on the ground floor, but was labelled as 8, I think) but was intrigued by this. It was excellent realising that the person doing my campus tour had graduated from my same high school abroad, and that we could compare their experiences in Leeds to mine at school. I loved the red brick on campus and the modern interior to the buildings, especially the Union building and Laidlaw library. At the end of the day, I loved that Leeds felt like a big, compact campus, with lots of shops and cafes and good learning spaces, and I had a feeling that it was a city/campus I could see myself being in. 

Qian Wang (MSc Law and Finance 2018) 

On 10 September 2017, the day after I arrived in the UK, one of my flatmates in St Mark's Residences showed me around the School of Law and the Business School. At that time I had not yet adjusted to the unpredictable weather in England and I remember that day was followed by a trip to the Chinese supermarket in the rain. It's hard to imagine that it all happened almost 5 years ago. Now I'm lying in bed at home in Beijing and I can still recall my memories in Leeds and it is something I will always miss. 

John Underwood (Civil Engineering 1970) 

Grime: arriving at the former central station and exiting into the surrounding streets. Mud: navigating around the edge of the then construction site for the inner ring road. Welcome: very warm welcome both literally (a miserable November day in 1966) and intellectually (most interesting tours and interview discussions). The three years that followed were hard work, socially rewarding and a lot of fun. 

Russell Weston-Walker (Environmental Management 1996) 

I didn’t come to an Open Day for Leeds University. I was so sure I wanted to go to Leeds because of its reputation that I didn’t need to see it. My first memory on campus was a Sunday afternoon reconnaissance bus journey from Bodington Hall. It was the weekend before freshers and i remember feeling overwhelmed as an 18 year old away from home for the first time. But it didn't take long to feel at home. I remember seeing the Eddy Boyle, the Roger Stephens and the Uni Bar which soon became familiar places. To this day, the campus is a place dear to my heart and I often come back to visit, remembering what an amazing time that was and how I'd love to have that time again. 

Annie Rose (English 1991) 

Everybody else seemed much more confident than me! Back in 1987 the main part of campus was probably a bit grottier than it is now but the School of English was great, housed as it was in a row of converted terraced houses; it felt homey and welcoming. Everybody was very friendly and, despite the fact that my mother was convinced that the Yorkshire Ripper would somehow return, I felt that Leeds was the place for this very Southern girl. 

Emma Capell (Midwifery 2010) 

I remember how I couldn't believe how one minute we were in the city centre and next such green spaces (which I later learnt to be Hyde Park!). The first sight of the Parkinson building will always be in my memories – iconic and unforgettable! Campus just had the right feel – something about the buildings, students and activities on offer. My dad will never forget his first experience of Leeds one way system – but lives here also now so conquered those fears! 

I-Chyun Lin (English Literature 2007) 

I was very much stunned by the Brotherton Library when I first visited it. The collections and everything inside the library were really amazing. Also the School of English was a very nice place to be – a very elegant building. Last but not least, the student union was a brilliant place for classmates to hang out and talk about everything. I like the campus a lot! 

Rachel Hunt (Latin 1997)  

I came for a group interview and tour of the department and campus during my A levels. Although I’m fairly local, and my dad had studied at Leeds, I'd never visited the city or the university campus before. I remember finding the classics department (at the time it was in the Parkinson building) and being really impressed by the building, the campus (especially the Brotherton and the Union), the staff, and the courses on offer. I pretty much decided then and there that Leeds was going first on my application form, and I was so excited to get my results and start my studies! Loved my time at Leeds and visit every chance I get! 

Mathew Philip (Physics 1977)    

The Parkinson Building was the most impressive. The tutor I met was friendly and very encouraging. I enjoyed the tour of the department and the campus. I felt that I could easily fit in in the department. The mix of grand old buildings and terraced houses on campus was charming. 

Robabeh Gharaei (Textile 2012) 

I first arrived in Leeds Uni on the 1st of July 2011. It was a very bright and beautiful day and everything seemed very nice and lovely to me. I immediately started to love buildings and the fact that we had a central campus with all the buildings and facilities centralised. I remember I visited Brotherton Library which had an amazing atmosphere and took me back in the time. I felt like I was traveling with time machine to 100 years ago and I could imagine all the famous scientists and authors that used to sit and work in this library back in the time. My favourite place on campus was LUU and it felt like home to me whenever I used to go there between my classes. 

Melanie Holt-Martyn (Plant Biology 1985) 

I was driven up from Plymouth by my father, I remember spotting Elland Road football stadium as we neared the city and I was awestruck by the Parkinson building as I walked to the Baines Wing for my interview with Dr Evans in a fabulous library room that led into a marvellous herbarium with a huge python wound around a beam. It was awesome and I knew I had to be part of this wonderworld! 

Peter Ginns (Maths, Physics and Statistics 1959) 

January 1956, I arrived at Leeds Central Railway Station and took the No. 1 TRAM up to alighting at the impressive Parkinson Building. Successful interview for admission followed. By the following September the number 1 bus operated the same route! 

Irene Byard (History 1966) 

It was a very cold day in January 1963 when I emerged from the bus bringing me up from the station. I was still frozen from the journey from London on an unheated train. My interview was in the History Department but I had not been provided with instructions and I could not see any direction signs. Teeth chattering, I headed towards a flight of steps leading to an impressive whitish building with a tower on top. At this point I bumped into a duffle coat which turned out to be a student who knew where the History Department was housed. Shepherded by the duffle coat I was taken to a lift in a newer building. I entered, pressed the button and ascended. This was my first encounter with the campus as in 1962/63 open days did not exist. 

Rosie Taylor (Maths 1996) 

The sun shone, which is something for Yorkshire and clearly made an impression, and I think there may have been strawberries.  I returned later in the year for an interview (yes back then there were still interviews), although I remember it being more of a chat.  And again it didn't rain! 

Dominic Page (Philosophy & Computer Science 1992) 

Mix of Red brick and Modern echoing my bridge between Arts & Science, the Dr Who corridor (how did they hide the kink?), the Paternoster (so many people, all with places to go, endlessly hither & thither), Duplex rooms in Henry Price seemed somehow exotic in spite of the "Designed after a Swedish Prison" rumour.

Annie Sheppard (Philosophy 2006) 

The wooden pillars and big old wooden desk in the Philosophy department with a wise looking professor sitting on it in discussion with some students. The Union with a shop and job agency in it, I think it even had a hairdressers down there which seemed so luxurious. Students giving out flyers to be voted on to the Union council. The Brotherton library and marble pillars inside the Parkinson building. The impressive Parkinson steps with students sitting on eating their lunch and chatting with each other. 

Chee Kwang Yung (Medicine 2001) 

I still remember vividly stepping out of Leeds Central Station and walking from the city uphill to the campus for my interview. The towering Parkinson building was my landmark as I navigated myself through the city.  Presuming the building was the entrance to the campus, I stepped inside it and was in awe of the Brotherton Library. 

Trevor Thorne (Fine Art 1985) 

I travelled up from Basingstoke via King's Cross on the train and sped through the city centre and up the hill from the railway station. I had been told to wait in the huge empty space below the Parkinson Tower and I would be met by the admissions' tutor. The wait seemed eternal and the echo triggered by every set of footsteps increased my anxiety until a kindly, smiling face approached and asked if I was Trevor Thorne. When I nodded, Griselda Pollock introduced herself and told me that she would be showing me around the Art History department in the Art's Building before handing me onto Terry Atkinson to show me the studios.  I remember everyone being friendly and relaxed which lulled me into a false sense of security for what was to follow when I started as a Fresher several months later! 

Karen Ries (Maths 1992) 

I remember being shown round the maths department and having a lovely interview with an academic, who I remember talked about Pendle Hill and told me not to revise too much for my A Levels: "You need lots of time away from the books".