FACILITIES
McIntosh offers a variety of shared and private spaces on each floor; take a tour in the video below and read on for descriptions and pro tips!
COMMON ROOM
The common room is on D floor with large leather sofas and armchairs surrounding two coffee tables. Around the room, there are four desks offering study space and two large, circular wooden tables with chairs.
The walls of the common room are lined with hall photos dating back to the hall's opening as well as a grand piano. The games cupboard contains various board games and the daily newspapers are also brought into the common room for communal enjoyment. As the social hub of hall, nearly all events take place here.
STUDY ROOMS
McIntosh has two large study rooms: the Green Room and the Blue Room, both of which are located on C floor.
The Green Room has views of West Sands and the Old Course, as well as a small library containing most first year English books as well as non-fiction books. The Blue Room overlooks the Cabbage Patch.
LIBRARY/COMPUTER ROOM
The library and computer room is located on E floor. The library has 8 university desktops and a colour laser printer, which can be accessed via personal laptop. The library has a large and varied collection of titles that have been defying the attempts at cataloguing by our Hall Committee Librarians for years, but has most first year textbooks. Books can be borrowed by contacting the Librarian.
TV ROOMS
There are two TV rooms, both equipped with televisions with Freeview, DVD players, and HDMI cables. Both rooms have sofas and small side tables, and the Big TV Room has an upright piano and 2 vending machines (open 24/7).
LAUNDRY
The two laundry rooms in hall are located on E floor, affectionately called the “Secret Laundry” and the “Abbotsford Laundry”. Abbotsford has three washers and dryers and Secret has two of each as well as a ceiling-mounted drying rack. Machines are on 8am to 10pm daily.
DINING ROOM
Meals are served in the dining room and may be accessed from D floor at the bottom of the main stairwell. Meals are provided on the following days:
Monday-Friday: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Saturday-Sunday: breakfast and lunch
BEDROOMS
McIntosh has both single shared rooms with about 240+ residents. Rooms are either north or south facing with a view of the West Sands or the Cabbage Patch. Each room comes with the following:
One single bed with a mattress and a mattress protector
A bedside cabinet
A built in or freestanding wardrobe
A study desk, chair, and desk lamp
A freestanding set of shelves
A sink, mirror, and pinboard
A trash, paper-, and glass-recycling bin
A telephone
Wired internet connection point (Ethernet cable provided upon request)
At least four plug sockets.
PRO TIP: read your accommodation contract, which has specifications about decorating restrictions (i.e. posters on the walls). A cleaner comes into your room to empty your bins, clean your sink, and hoover, so don't be too alarmed when they burst forth at 9am.
BATHROOMS
The bathrooms throughout hall are all different in size, but almost all have both toilet cubicles, sinks, and showers. Each floor has washrooms at various intervals. Bathrooms are cleaned daily by the cleaning staff, but in the event that toilet paper mummies may appear, it’s best to clean up after yourself.
PRO TIP: E floor showers have the best water pressure
KITCHENS
Each floor has a kitchen, which are mainly used on weekends for cooking dinner. Kitchens are cleaned by cleaners, but individual pans and dishes are the responsibility of residents. Each kitchen includes the following:
Two kettles
A toaster
A microwave
Two ovens
Two refrigerators with freezers
An iron and ironing board
A table and bench seating
Two sinks and cupboards
PRO TIP: Store things in the kitchen at your own peril
GARDENS AND BIKE SHED
McIntosh has two gardens, one on the north-west corner of the property (the back garden) and one in front of hall (the Cabbage Patch). The Cabbage Patch is a large sunny area with benches and gravel paths perfect for barbecues and is the assembly point for fire drills and emergency evacuations.
The bike shed is a shared space outside the dining room on the north side of hall. All bikes must be registered; for more information, speak to the Residence Service Managers upon arrival.
PRO TIP: If you're doing a barbecue, stay on the garden path. The trees really do catch fire.
