These had first been suggested in 1856 to promote discipline, but nothing came of this until 1869, when several meetings were held between figures of Manchester’s intellectual and philanthropic class with the end of establishing a Church of England hall of residence.

The leaders of this project were Manchester MPs Sir William Houldsworth and Hugh Birley, though they were joined by philanthropist Richard Copley Christie and then president of Owens College Joseph Gouge Greenwood.

The hall opened at 174 Plymouth Grove in 1870, however due to its financial situation was short lived and closed in 1876.

The hall was a private entity separate to the then Owen's College, with funds provided by Sir William Houldsworth, a prominent Manchester businessman, and the Hulme Trust, and was administered by a board of governors.

In 1933 a short history of Hulme Hall's first incarnation was written by then warden Thomas Nicklin, and published by the Oxford University Press.

In 1966-7 work was carried out by Bernard Taylor & Partners to build five new accommodation blocks: Christie (named for Richard Copley Christie, one of the hall's secretaries), Oaklands, Greenwood (named for Joseph Gouge Greenwood, then Principal of Owen's College and a member of the hall's original Committee of Management in 1870), Birley (named for Hugh Birley), and Plymouth; along with a new dining hall, bar, and common room.

Oaklands is at the heart of a structure with a larger number of student rooms than any other building in Hulme hall.

Following the first world war it bought first Oxford Lodge and Park House in 1919 and then Oaklands (known at the time as the Fielden Demonstration School) in 1926.

Hulme's buildings are largely arranged in pleasant quadrangles set with trees, incorporating a mixture of the original structure, known as Houldsworth, and the newer blocks.

[7] Hulme was designed by the architect Percy Worthington in the Arts and Crafts style, in red brick with sandstone dressings and green slate roofs.

The common room in the east wing has two-storey oriel windows, and in an angle is a tower with an embattled parapet and an octagonal stair turret.

[11] Local student attractions to Hulme Hall include the Whitworth Art Gallery and the Curry Mile on Wilmslow Road.

The main hall sport throughout the early and mid-20th century was fives, however this was replaced by squash in 1967, the popularity of which has since declined.

Hulme Hall offers students a multi use games area, a squash court, and a gym.

There is a weekly quiz night on Thursdays, and events run by the JCR are regularly held in the bar.

At formals, all students sit to dinner together, and food is served to tables by catering staff rather than the usual refectory service.