Covent Garden Guide

Arguably, Covent Garden is one of the most famous areas in London, lying in Central London and straddling the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden. Covent Garden’s popularity is fuelled by its central location bordering the districts of Soho, Bloomsbury and Holborn.

The always-bustling Covent Garden is probably best known for being the centre of Theatreland, and has been a popular entertainment district since the 18th century, when the first Royal Opera House opened. The pedestrianised square is pure tourist hell, with performance artists and mimes somehow managing to find a space to perch amongst the hoards of people, especially at weekends. You’ll find high street shopping on Long Acre while Floral Street offers slightly trendier brands; the quaint Neal’s Yard is also here with complimentary medicines and a vegetarian restaurant. There is a multitude of restaurants, bars and pubs to cater for theatregoers and visitors, which much like the shops, can range from run of the mill chains to quality eateries. Overall you’re more likely to encounter camera-wielding groups of foreign students here rather than a Londoner on his/her day off. 

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London Metropolitan University

The London Metropolitan University can trace its history back to 1848, when the Bishop of London had called for an institution to educate and enforce the morals of London's young men. This aspect The London Metropolitan became the City of London College- which later became the City of London Polytechnic

The North London Campus of the London Metropolitan University began in 1896 as the Northern polytechnic institute. Within five years of its inception the attendance had doubled and the Polytechnics evening class degrees were recognised by the University of London. The Polytechnic merged with another institute in 1970 and in 1992 won University status- with it the power to award its own degrees.

It was to merger of these two institutes in 2002 that became The London Metropolitan University. Today it is the largest Unitary University in London and one of the top destinations for EU students. The University boasts more than 35,000 students and has continued to expand since its merger

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Kings College London

Kings College London was founded in 1829 by King George IV and the Prime Minister- the Duke of Wellington. Originally the institution was only available to members of the Church of England. Famous students at Kings College include John Keats and Florence Nightingale. In 1829 the Earl of Winchilsea questioned the Duke of Wellingtons support of Kings College alongside his support of Catholic and Anglican institutions- this resulted in a pistol duel on Battersea fields, though nobody was hurt.

In 1839 the Kings College Hospital was founded, to the North of the Strand on Portugal Street. In 1910 the Kings College for Women was officially recognised. The Royal Dental Hospital of London can be found within the Kings College campus and is recognised as one of the pioneering forces in dental medicine.

Kings College London is located across many sites- the majority of which are situated near the Thames near London's West End.

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About Imperial College

Imperial College London is an independent constituent part of the University of London.

It was established in 1907 in London’s scientific and cultural heartland in South Kensington, as a merger of the Royal College of Science, the City and Guilds College and the Royal School of Mines. St Marys Hospital Medical School and the National Heart and Lung Institute merged with the College in 1988 and 1995 respectively.

Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School and the Royal Postgraduate Medical School merged with the College on 1 August 1997.

In 2000 the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology and Wye College in Kent merged with Imperial. Imperial now has the largest operational estate of any university in the UK. The College has 11,000 students and 6,000 staff.

The central campus is less than an hour from Heathrow and Gatwick Airports and has excellent transport links.

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About Goldsmiths, University of London

Founded in 1891 as the Goldsmiths' Company's Technical and Recreative Institute, the institute was originally designed around the need for training in the artisan and technical fields of industry. Located in a former Royal Naval School, the College can still be found here today.

Goldsmiths is internationally known for creativity and innovation - a reputation backed up by the highest academic standards, and over a century's membership of the University of London. Located in New Cross, South East London, the College has over 8,000 students taking part in undergraduate, postgraduate and adult education study opportunities in the arts, social sciences and humanities.

With alumni including Antony Gormley, Julian Clary, Damien Hirst, Mary Quant, Bridget Riley, Graham Coxon and Malcolm McLaren, Goldsmiths brings creative and unconventional approaches to the subjects offered. The College is friendly and vibrant, and proud of the diverse student population which adds to this welcoming atmosphere - nearly 13% of students come from countries outside the European Union, and 45% of all undergraduates are mature students (aged 21 or over at the start of their studies).

Members of the 1994 Group of smaller, research oriented universities, Goldsmiths is a serious academic force, and achieved outstanding successes in the 2001 independent Research Assessment Exercise - the Anthropology, Art, Sociology, Design, English, and Media and Communications departments were all awarded either the 5 or prized 5* classifications.

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