Why we will miss the Tower

You’re a shithole but we love you


The beloved OP Tower is the iconic 200ft block of concrete that has acted as a home-from-home for over 19,000 wide-eyed freshers for the past 50 years.

Whether you lived there yourself or just live within a 20 mile radius, everyone has heard of Tower.

But now, it’s being knocked down, and we can’t help but be nostalgic.

What is it that makes Tower life so special? What leaves every fresher thinking “It’s a shithole, but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else”?

Honey, I’m home

It’s appearance

Rumoured to be designed by a prison architect, admittedly Tower isn’t the prettiest of buildings. Its dreary exterior combined with the darkness of the canteen and corridors doesn’t bode well for the thousands of incoming freshers accustomed to the comfort of Mummy and Daddy’s country house.

However, what it lacks in looks, it makes up for in emotion. There’s no better time for the expression “don’t judge a book by its cover.” The 17 floors means that the higher up you get, the more beautiful the views are. Look out the floor 16 window on a clear evening and you feel as if you’re in the Shard. Also, the room size is pretty huge compared to other OP accommodation, and you get your own sink.

But most of all, it’s Fallowfield’s very own landmark. It dominates the Manchester skyline, after a long journey you’ll spot it in the distance and know that you’re home.

This shits all over the view from the Shard

The Tower challenge

One to tell the grandkids. 

It’s location

The first thing you see when you walk through OP’s gates, Tower has the best location of all the halls.  Roll out of bed and you’re a few steps from Squirrells, Source Caf, the Cluster and the OP Surgery. You’ll be the first to get free toast from the Christian Union during freshers’, and first in line for free Dominos. Plus, everyone has to walk past you to get to their own halls, meaning your right at the centre of all the action.

The tutors

The Tower tutors are legends of the game. You won’t catch them telling you to turn down your music or put out that spliff. They’ve even been known to occasionally join in on afters.

The people who live there are always really fun

Only the hardcore can survive in Tower. Most people abandon ship after two weeks and demand to move to somewhere cleaner and quieter – but those who stick it out are the toughest people you’ll meet at uni. They tend to be more easy-going, and go harder than anyone else in OP. They’re notorious for their after parties and pranks which keep the rest of us entertained all year round.

Remember this?

The predrinks are the best in OP

In Tower, people know how to have a good time. Freshers come from far and wide to pre in the massive common rooms which can be rivaled by no other. The sheer quantity of Tower dwellers makes every pres a big one, something Oak House will never understand.

There are so many people

Unlike other halls where people are stuck in flats of six people, you’ve got hundreds of friends to choose from in Tower. Don’t like your neighbour? Take your pick of people on your floor, in the common rooms or even in the cafeteria. You’ll never be bored, there’s always something going on or someone to hang out with, no matter what time.

The shit facilities means you can do what you like

Sure, the facilities aren’t saying much in the way of luxury or convenience, but who really needs a 5* kitchen and an en-suite anyway? Sharing a bathroom with 12 people is an important bonding exercise and we all know you’re gonna spend your Sundays in Dominos rather than the kitchen.

There’s something about living in a place with no standards which makes it ideal. You can do whatever you want and it really doesn’t matter. No one will judge you for pissing out the window or dropping your dinner on the carpet, people are just there to have fun.

Admittedly the lifts become a bit of a chore, but at least you’ll have killer legs by the end of the year. Luckily hot-boxing them in a breakdown is a new found solution to all of our problems.