Woolton Hall was built as part of an expansion in the provision of residence during the 1950s at the
Victoria University of Manchester, when the then Vice-Chancellor declared that it was the aim of the university to: 'become ultimately, and as quickly as possible, a residential university'. Woolton's architect was
Hubert Worthington, who also designed the university Dental School, and whose brother
Percy Worthington had designed the
main library and two other halls of residence at Manchester - Hulme and Ashburne. As with other buildings of Worthington's, there are architectural puns on the name 'Woolton': the weathervanes feature sheep and lambs. It was named after
Lord Woolton, then Chancellor of the university, whose arms and coronet appear in architectural details around the hall, and opened by
the Duke of Edinburgh in November 1959. From 1959 to 1990 the hall was all male, and by the 1980s was considered ‘welcoming, enchanting and gregarious’, in an era when other men's halls (such as Hulme and Dalton) were either mixing or merging with women's halls. The Woolton JCR continued to put on legendary JCR Discos. In 1990 the hall became a mixed residence. Its exuberant nature has remained to some extent, later described by
the Tab in 2015 as "a place reliant on fun and frolics," though a 2022 review of halls from
the Mancunion only mentioned that it was quieter than other Fallowfield halls, and had "a nice old-school vibe." Plans to redevelop the Fallowfield Campus revealed by the university in 2023 likely propose the demolition of Woolton Hall.{{cite web |url= https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2023/06/08/manchester-uni-reboots-3300-bed-fallowfield-student-campus/|title= Manchester Uni reboots 3,300-bed campus plan == Gallery ==