Coal Hill Staff Common Room

	Coal Hill Staff Room
	Staff common room
	Coal Hill School
	Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child
	PROSE: Nothing at the End of the Lane PROSE: Time and Relative PROSE: Doctor Who and the Horror of Coal Hill AUDIO: An Earthly Child AUDIO: Home Again, Home Again

The Staff Common Room at Coal Hill School was a thing of legend to students in the 1960s. It was forbidden for students to enter it. (PROSE: Time and Relative)

Layout

In the 1960s, the staff room had several comfortable armchairs and a television set, which was positioned high on a shelf. The walls were covered in staff notices. There was also a large table where most of the staff marked the students' work. (PROSE: The Edge of Destruction)

History

After sleeping in the school overnight, Susan Foreman ventured into the staff common room on 2 April 1963 to retrieve an electric kettle and make tea when the tuck shop only had Tizer to drink. According to Susan, the room stank of rotten tobacco.

While she didn't find the "fabled" library of "confiscated Liliput and Health & Efficiency magazines or Hank Jansen and Dennis Wheatley paperbacks", she did find her own copy of Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, which had been confiscated by Mr Grange days earlier. She found the bookmark had moved on in her book, suggesting someone had been reading it. (PROSE: Time and Relative)

Later, in October, River Song regularly met Ian Chesterton and the other teachers in Coal Hill's staff room. On leaving the Red Lion, River told Ian she expected biscuits on their next encounter here. (AUDIO: An Unearthly Woman)

Shivani Bajwa first encountered the First Doctor shortly after departing the staff room. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Horror of Coal Hill)

On 22 November 1963, (PROSE: Who Killed Kennedy) Barbara Wright quickly grabbed The French Revolution off a shelf in the staff room for Susan Foreman, before heading back down the corridor to her history class. (PROSE: Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child)

References

Following the TARDIS's departure from Skaro and chaotic dematerialisation, its passengers were all knocked unconscious. After waking, a delirious Barbara Wright believed she were in one of the arms chairs in the staff room of Coal Hill. (PROSE: The Edge of Destruction)