Informal Hall
Encyclopedia
At traditional Oxbridge
colleges, there may be two dinners in the college hall each evening, named informal hall and formal hall. Informal hall normally takes place before formal hall and does not require the wearing of a gown
. It is typically self-service rather than being served by college servants. It is also relatively early in the evening, thus allowing students to pursue other activities later. In some colleges, this leads to its alternative name of first hall. Often the meal is also known by an informal name, such as Buttery, Trough, or just the Canteen.
Oxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...
colleges, there may be two dinners in the college hall each evening, named informal hall and formal hall. Informal hall normally takes place before formal hall and does not require the wearing of a gown
Academic dress
Academic dress or academical dress is a traditional form of clothing for academic settings, primarily tertiary education, worn mainly by those that have been admitted to a university degree or hold a status that entitles them to assume them...
. It is typically self-service rather than being served by college servants. It is also relatively early in the evening, thus allowing students to pursue other activities later. In some colleges, this leads to its alternative name of first hall. Often the meal is also known by an informal name, such as Buttery, Trough, or just the Canteen.