Numbers 4 & 5 Church Street were like a maze inside, the student rooms were quite small but had great character and presence. Ethelred House was also a 'des-res' for those who were lucky enough to get a room there. I deemed them lucky, more because they had the use of a washing machine, which in those days meant you had to visit the local laundrette to do your washing if you couldn't talk a hostel user to 'stick it in the wash, mate'. I never stayed at a hostel and only cottoned-on to this scam later in student life. Meanwhile... I spent a lot of time at the laundrette.

In 1974, you could survive on £3 a week, provided you ate in the canteen, drank half pints and didn't smoke too much, roll-ups being the exception. The grant, when/if it arrived on time, was collected at the Bursars Office in Church Street and was the grand sum of anything up to £350 a term for a full grant if your local authority deemed you worthy! After paying half of this out for your accommodation there was not a great deal left to indulge your fancy in, but somehow there was always enough for a drink in your local pub.

*44 High Street, fond memories for those who lived above Ultra Warm?, remarkably it still is the same shop today! I always thought it would be a great place to stay in the winter because of the heating from down below, at least that's what the name suggested.
40 High Street, in the 18th century it was the Old Vicarage, in the '70's it was a student hostel and in a state of disrepair even back then. I only visited it once and was glad I lived elsewhere!

From one end of of Pickwick Road to the other there were also hostels. Next to a petrol station is 99, next to a car repair garage is 43. There must have been many students who lived in these houses, were you one of them? Wasn't there another hostel half way between these two?

One place I stayed at for a year in '76 was in Dill House, number 69 Priory Street, it was owned by Jenny Davis, a tutor at the college and this was her family home. It was quite a rambling place with her husband, two children and the dog all sharing with three students and their visitors.
At one end of the High Street and part of the Flemish buildings around the area, was Weavers Cottage. A remarkable old house with twisty beams, quaint rooms, uneven floors and most importantly - a washing machine, just like home really.