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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About City University London

The City University was established from the Northampton institute, founded in 1894. The funds to start the institution came primarily from "Whisky tax", taxes taken from the sale of alcohol. The motto of the City University is "to serve mankind". The Northampton institute was renamed the City University because of its close tie to the businesses of London- the Lord Mayor of London himself was invited to be the Chancellor.

More than one third of the University's resources are targeted at business and the site boasts a world class business school. The degree ceremonies are held at the famous Guildhall every year. The City University is home to more than 10,000 students of which a staggering 40% are from outside the UK.

More than a quarter of the resident professors are women- compared to a national average of just 15%. Located in Northampton Square- the University's central location makes it one of the most accessible of London's institutions. Though closed to the public- the impressive main buildings are worth visiting for their impressive size and architecture.

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About Brunel University

Brunel University started life as a Middlesex Junior Technical school in 1910. The school was forced to move to Acton, West London in 1928, where it began to expand rapidly. The institute was created to provide skilled labour for local industry and during its early growth more than ninety percent of graduates found immediate work within the City.

At the start of the Second World War the University became a training facility for Men and Women to help the War effort. The Governments increased focus on the expansion and maintenance of British industry after the War affected Brunel University radically. New buildings were completed in 1957 and in 1962 the name was officially changed to Brunel University.

Set across several Campuses- Brunel University has become as synonymous with technical Excellence as Isambard Kingdom Brunel himself. Students from across the world study here. The University has easy access from Central London via the Underground system.

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Among the many revelations that Jesse James has provided on his media tour for his memoir “American Outlaw,” we now also know who he thinks is better in bed.

During a visit to Howard Stern’s Sirius XM radio show on Wednesday, Stern asked the 42-year-old who’s more fun in bed – James' ex  Sandra Bullock or Kat Von D, according to audio posted on RadarOnline. James responded, “That one’s an easy no-brainer.”

Before he could finish his sentence, Stern finished it for him by presuming he was about to acknowledge his fiancee, Kat Von D. (The couple became engaged in January of this year.) It turns out Stern was right: “Yes sir, 100 percent,” James told him.

“She’s a vixen, man….The way she gets in my head. It’s a mental thing; [we’re] connected on a whole different level.”

Even if Von D decided to treat James the way he treated Bullock, James said, “If she cheated on me, I’d forgive her and still love her.”

But it's not just her moves in the bedroom that has James all caught up - he told People that he never believed a partner truly loved him until Kat Von D came along.

"We like the same music, we like tattoos, we like art, everything. I believe 100 percent that she loves me and you know what? I've never believed that about anybody," he told the magazine. "She fell in love with me when I was being called Satan. If that's not a testament to what kind of a person she is and where her intentions are, I think nothing is."

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