Grizedale College

A social hub on campus located conveniently close to shops and other amenities with accommodation for over 600 students.

Established in 1975, Grizedale is the fifth largest college on campus at Lancaster university, with accommodation for over 600 students. Located close to the centre of campus, Grizedale college is conveniently situated for shops and amenities, with the Management School right next door. Known for being a social hub, Grizedale takes pride in its varied social and sporting calendar, with several college teams that regularly compete against other colleges. The college also run regular cultural celebrations, open mic nights and quizzes in the popular GZ bar.

Grizedale college is the younger of all colleges on site, having opened its doors in 1975. When the college was first constructed, Grizedale shared facilities and general administration with Pendle college. A new accommodation block was built for Grizedale in 1994 but was later given to Pendle. In 2006, the original Grizedale buildings were completely demolished and due to a variety of building issues across campus, the former buildings lay vacant for almost a year. Eventually new accommodation was built for Grizedale, which included multiple apartments and townhouses, situated around the Grizedale quad, often used in the summer months for socialising. The college was finally completed in 2009. When the college was originally formed, it was named after Grizedale Forest in the Lake District, a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts, with the word Grizedale originating from old Norse meaning ‘Valley of the Wild Boar’, hence the blue boar logo held by the college. Originally however, the college logo was Depravo the rat, created by Michael Palin who was known to the university. In the 1980s a number of people questioned the relevance of the Rat to the college, and so it was changed to what is now the blue boar. Grizedale’s bar, ‘Depravos’ kept its name, but was later demolished in 2007.

The area of Grizedale which the college is named after, is a large forest in the Lake District, nestled between Hawkshead and Coniston. Owned and managed by Forestry England, Grizedale plays an important role in the region’s natural environment and local economy. Much of the forest is made up of beautiful conifer woodlands, with a huge variety of wildlife such as, badgers, foxes, dragonflies and red squirrels. Grizedale is also home to England’s only herd of indigenous red deer and if you are lucky enough, you may also catch site of the beautiful red kites which were reintroduced to the forest in 2012. Grizedale offers many cycling and walking trails for people of all ages and abilities, and is best known for Grizedale Art’s sculpture project, which has been running for over 50 years. Many unusual sculptures made of natural materials, can be found along the trails throughout the forest, with regular art and photography exhibitions held at the visitor’s centre, to compliment these beautiful sculptures.

Grizedale college has accommodation provision for over 600 students on campus, consisting of 18 townhouses, five en-suite houses, three blocks of standard apartments and one block of single and double studios. All apartment blocks also benefit from a large communal kitchen, modern showers and dining facilities.

Popular as one of the most social colleges on campus, Grizedale college offer an array of sports and social activities for students. From various sports to day trips, quiz nights, fundraising and inter-college tournaments. Social events run both on campus and in the city of Lancaster, with regular celebrations, open mic nights and even spa days. Grizedale also take pride in their annual Winter Ball, giving everyone the opportunity to come together for a night to remember. The college have a number of sports teams, including four netball and football teams, open to people of all abilities, so this could be a chance to get involved in something completely new, whilst getting to know your fellow teammates. The university has four football leagues, which the college take part in, with the top two leagues going forward in the annual Roses tournament against York University. Similarly, the netball team compete in leagues, fighting for the chance to play at the Roses tournament at the ned of the year and in recent years, they have done just that, winning the league in 2020. All teams have regular try outs, giving anyone who is interested, the opportunity to get involved and represent the college in sport. If the cold weather isn’t your thing, the Bar Sports Club is increasingly popular, consisting of a variety of sports including, pool, darts and dominoes with serious players competing regularly in the college leagues and George Wyatt Cup. Again, no experience is necessary with the teams open to students of all abilities. At the end of the academic year, Grizedale go head-to-head with rival college, Pendle in the Warriors tournament, involving a number of sports such as, hockey, table tennis, korfball, to name just a few.