Safety Information

The fabric and age of the buildings are such that care should always be taken, especially at night and when rushing, and guests should ensure that appropriate footwear is worn.

Fire Instructions

Your room has up-to-date fire detection. There are at least two separate routes to the open from most rooms. Water-filled fire extinguishers are available in all areas, and emergency lighting is installed in all landings and stairways, which comes on automatically in cases of electrical failure.

When you first settle into your room:

Please check your routes of escape and fire exits. Also note the location of the nearest break-glass fire alarm.

What to do if you discover a fire:

Raise the alarm by breaking the glass on the nearest fire alarm point or by shouting when evacuating the building.

The Lodge monitors fire alarms 24/7 so they will attend when an alarm is activated.

Only use the fire extinguisher nearest to you if you feel confident and it is safe to do so.

On hearing a loud continuous sounding of the fire alarm:

1. Leave the premises by the nearest available route. Check rooms on the way as far as possible. Do not delay or return to collect personal possessions.
2. Proceed to the nearest exit from the building and ensure you have been checked against the nominal list.
3. Do not re-enter the building until instructed by a member of staff or a Fire Officer.
4. Keep clear of those fighting the fire.

Please note that the fire alarms are tested every Tuesday morning between 8:30 and 9:00.

Your Key and Access

You will have been issued with a Salto key by the Porter at the Lodge when you checked in to allow access to your room. Please ensure your key is returned to the Lodge when you check out.

To open your room, hold the key on the reader of the lock for a few seconds. The light on the room lock will flash green then unlock.

To lock your door from the outside, press the key on the lock and listen for a single tone. This will mean the door is now locked from the outside. To lock your door while entering the room, put the key on the lock and wait for a single tone. You can now go into the room and the door will lock.

Please remember that if the door is in the locked position, you will not be able to re-enter the room without your key.

Do not hang anything on the inside handle: this will disable the lock and prevent you from accessing your room.

The Forum Gate (Late Gate)

This gate is for use when the main College entrance is locked in the evening (between the hours of 21:00 and 22:00). Your Salto key will give you access through the Late Gate – this is the iron turnstile gate at the rear of the College and between 50 and 51 High Street on the street side. On entering or leaving via the Forum Gate, place the key flat onto the reader located on the turnstile and the light will flash blue then turn green and the lock will release. Push the turnstile gate and walk slowly through the turnstile.

Check-out

Please vacate your room by 10:00 on the morning of your departure and return your room key to the Lodge. There is a charge of £30.00 for any key not returned.

It may be possible to store luggage for a short period after your conference has ended. Please ask at the Lodge when handing in your key.

Wi-Fi

To access Wi-Fi during your stay, please select the network labelled SEH GUEST from your device settings, and follow the instructions in your browser.

For internet connection problems, and all IT-related enquiries, please contact the IT Office by emailing help@seh.ox.ac.uk, 8:00–16:00 Monday to Friday.

Food Allergies

Every care is taken to avoid any cross-contamination whilst preparing a specific request, however St Edmund Hall does not have a kitchen with a specific allergy-free zone. For example, wheat-based and gluten-free dishes that are deep fried will use the same fryers in the kitchen. Therefore, there may be a risk of contamination for extremely sensitive sufferers.

Please note that we will need all dietary information in advance and may not be able to accommodate additional requests made at meal times.

Laundry

The Laundry Room is situated below the Whitehall Building. Both washing machines and dryers are available. You will need to supply your own detergent.

Guests are required to use a mobile phone app to pay for and use the laundry service:

• Log into www.circuit.co.uk
• Download the circuit laundry app and create an account
• Scan the QR code of the machine you wish to use.

To use the machines:

• Log in to your account via the app
• Load your clothes in the machine
• Scan the QR code
• Confirm use
• Select Cycle.

Please ensure that you take your phone with you to the Laundry Room and that you are connected to the Wi-Fi or have a strong 4G/5G signal.

The College Bar

The College Bar is situated in the Front Quad, in Archways 1 and 2.

The Bar is open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 18:00 to 22:30.

College Security

If you see anything suspicious or anything that doesn’t appear quite right, please contact the Lodge immediately.

Please do not allow anyone to use your key or let anyone follow you into the locked areas of the College unless you know who they are.

If it is someone you do not know and they tell you that they have misplaced their key or left it in their room, politely refer them to the Lodge.

You are strongly advised not to leave any items of value unattended in communal areas, such as the Bar, Dining Rooms, etc.

Maintenance Issues

If you experience a problem when using continental adaptors, either with your appliance, or the electricity supply, please contact the Maintenance team by email help@seh.ox.ac.uk between 9:00 and 16:00.

Any maintenance faults between 16:00 and 9:00 should be reported to the Lodge by telephone 01865 279000, or email lodge@seh.ox.ac.uk. If emailing, please place your room number and building in the subject line.

In case of an emergency, please contact the Lodge via telephone.

Please be aware that some maintenance problems may not resolved until the following working day.

Consideration for Others

Please remember that this is a place of learning throughout the year and many of our Fellows will be working in their rooms during your stay. On fine evenings, the Quad can amplify sounds, particularly late at night, so please be considerate of others who are staying in the College.

Disturbances

Disturbance is not only caused by music: shouted conversations carried on from one building to another, or from the ground to an upper-floor window may also cause disturbance. Shouting and singing, particularly when returning to College late at night, or slammed doors and pounding feet on staircases late at night, can cause disturbance.

Sound reflects very well from the hard external surfaces of our high buildings, particularly outside the JCR and on the raised quad. Even conversations at normal volumes in quads and passages will be audible in several adjacent rooms and potentially be very disturbing, particularly late at night.

Please bear all these points in mind and show consideration for all College residents.

Quiet and Silent Hours

The College should be quiet after 23:00 and silent after midnight (on Saturdays, quiet after 23:45 and silent after 0:30) until 6:00.

Climbing

It is forbidden to climb out of windows or to sit on windowsills or the “balconies” in the Emden and Kelly buildings.

Ball Games

All ball games are forbidden inside College grounds; this includes croquet and the use of Frisbees, etc.

Front Quad lawn

The Front Quad lawn is out of bounds. Only those with an Oxford MA may walk on the grass.

Out and About

Please ask at the Lodge if you would like any information about places to see or visit in or around Oxford. In addition, the City Sightseeing Oxford Visitor Information Point can be found at 44–45 High Street.

The following websites may assist you in planning local and national travel during your stay:

Bus companies:

Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel

Stagecoach

National Express

Train services:

National Rail

Oxford taxis:

ABC Radio Cars

Royal Cars

001 Taxis