Description
The main college building, three storeys high and constructed in the 1960s in the CLASP system, consists of four blocks arranged within a square. The western, northern and eastern blocks are known, respectively, as A, B and C blocks, all of which were residential blocks when the college opened in 1968. The southern side, often known as the teaching block, contains offices for the History and History of Art departments plus two lecture theatres. It was also home to the Mathematics department until the early 2000s. C Block also houses a Computing Service computer room, V058, previously known in abbreviated form as "vuft" when it belonged to the Computer Science department.
In addition, social space located in an extension off the teaching block includes a large dining hall, bar, JCR, SCR, a Porter's Lodge and a wide corridor known as Vanbrugh Stalls, which takes its name from the frequent society and ticket-selling stalls that are set up there.
A further building to the west contains offices for the Students Union as well as Your:Books, the Students' Union second hand book store. Now called Grimston House, it was originally known as X Block. The reason for this has become a campus legend, but is in fact true: university buildings are named by their college or building name initial and then a block letter. As the fourth block in Vanbrugh, this would have been known as VD block. The University decided to call it VX instead. This was in part as the building, when viewed from above, was X-shaped. The building underwent major alterations in 1999, changing the shape of the east frontage, and was then renamed.
Vanbrugh students also can apply for off-campus accommodation at Fairfax House which is situated on Heslington Road, approximately 10 minutes walk from the main college building, housing approximately 90 students, in addition to around 30 Vanbrugh residents in the hall of residence on Fulford Road, Fulford House.
Between A and X Block a shed once used as cleaners cupboard is used by University Radio York which broadcast radio locally at the 1350AM Radio Frequency.
Vanbrugh College has a reputation for sporting achievement.
In autumn of 2007 the College football team completed a naked calendar in which they raised over £300 for Cancer Research UK.
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