Long story short: yes, it is. We all look for different things out of our halls experience. Some people want a sleek and stylish flat with their own en suite, whereas others are happy with the cheap and cheerful shared bathroom lifestyle. As the cheapest accommodation the University of Liverpool has to offer, the cute courtyard surrounded by houses at Melville Grove is certainly cheap and cheerful. Prices start at £142.73 for a single bedroom, and £149.59 for a double bedroom, and in my opinion, it is worth every penny! I may be a bit biased because I spent my first year of university living there, but I’m here to help you decide whether Melville is the right fit for you.
Melville Grove in Liverpool
If you’re looking for campus accommodation but are terrified of the prices at Vine Court and Crown Place, then Melville Grove is ideal for you. Its location right opposite the Sydney Jones library, on Grove Street, means that you can wake up literally 15 minutes before your lecture and be there with time to spare! This also makes it great for if you make course mates at one of the other campus accommodations, you’re never too far away from a good pre-drinks before a social. Similarly, you’re close to the University of Liverpool’s Student’s Union, “The Guild”, which is home to The Sphinx bar, Starbucks, the Guild shop and more!
Not only is Melville Grove a stone’s throw away from the University, but it is also an ideal location for nights out. While Greenbank residents have to plan for a bus journey into town, Melville students can pre until 11 ‘o’clock before their 15-minute walk down to concert square. Now, 15-minutes might sound like quite a way, but if you grab a drink on your way out of the house, the walk will fly by! The only downside is that it’s uphill most of the way back, which can feel like a killer at four in the morning, but I’m sure that’s much better than a bus journey and a walk.
One of my most standout memories from Melville Grove was the sense of community you feel there. When we first moved in, there were so many houses offering to host pres and trying to get to know each other. Obviously, this died down slightly as everyone found their own friend groups; but most weeks someone would post in the group chat that their house was having a party of some sort – one week we even went to a birthday party for a ghost in one house! (Don’t be alarmed though Melville isn’t haunted).
When I lived there, we had a massive group chat. This was used for so many things, including asking to borrow things, posting missing things that had been found, and letting people know when their washing was done. I always found that people were so helpful and willing to lend anything to people. This sort of community feel might not be so prominent at a bigger accommodation, such as Vine Court, Crown Place or Greenbank, because they consist of so many blocks and floors, whereas Melville was only home to 350 people in comparison to the thousands at other accommodations.
While it’s cheap, and doesn’t have the fancy en suite of other accommodations, Melville Grove is still extremely well equipped. Each room has a sink, so you can at least brush your teeth and have a drink of water in the night without leaving your room. I won’t lie, I really miss having a sink in my room, I now have to walk through the whole house to brush my teeth instead of just taking two steps across the room. The communal areas at Melville were also decent, with plenty of cupboard space for all seven of us, and a cosy living area complete with a TV and sofas. At first, when you move in the communal area can seem barren and cold, but as soon as you start to make it your own with pictures and things you accumulate as a house, you’ll forget how it first was.
While I can’t guarantee your Melville Grove experience is the same as mine (I hope it’s even better!), I would greatly encourage you to consider it as accommodation in first year. Accommodation applications are open now, so make sure you apply before the deadline on the 31st July 2021.
If you want to browse all the halls of residence the University of Liverpool has to offer, you can find them all here.
