Staff writer Polly Symes details lesser known spots for students to unwind with food, drink, and green spaces around KCL’s Strand Campus.
Of all the higher-education institutions in the city, King’s College London’s Strand Campus is located most centrally in our vibrant metropolis. Just minutes away from Trafalgar Square, London’s geographical heart, students are lucky to find themselves right by the West End, Covent Garden, and St Paul’s Cathedral – all counted among the best that London has to offer.
Having said this, with such a special location comes its fair share of chaos. Above all, we are students, but our campus is surrounded by tourists wanting to immerse themselves in all that London has to offer. For students wishing to unwind somewhere other than The Vault, it can be a challenge to avoid tourist traps and find ‘your place’. For me, personally, as someone raised in the countryside by the South Downs, it’s been important to find spaces that feel like ‘mine’ -little oases that, in this article, I refer to as ‘hidden gems’.
So what follows is a list I’ve compiled of my favourite spaces to eat, drink, and unwind around the Strand campus. Hopefully these hidden gems will offer you some peace amidst all the noise of the city!
1. Lincoln’s Inn Fields
It remains a mystery to me why so few KCL students make their way to this tranquil oasis. Less than a 10-minute walk from Bush House, it needs to be factored into your next study break. In the park there are plenty of trees, tennis courts, a large field, band stand, and a lovely café called the Pear Tree.
It sets itself apart from the other green spaces in that it is the largest garden square in London, covering 7.25 acres. Historically, Lincoln’s Inn was a significant Inn of Court, and remains an active society of barristers, familiar to KCL’s aspiring lawyers.
How to get there: exit Bush House and walk up Kingsway before turning right onto Sardinia Street. Et voila, you’ve arrived!
2. Charge up on Coffee (or Matcha): The Fleet Street Press
This cosy cafe is situated on Fleet Street, once the centre of London’s journalism and printing-press industry. Hence, the satisfying pun, ‘Fleet Street Press’! What makes it a hidden gem is that, from the outside, it looks like a tiny cafe, but if you enter and go down the stairs, there’s a whole hidden floor to huddle in with your friends and clutch a steaming mug of coffee!
How to get there: walk down Fleet Street and you’ll find it roughly opposite Chancery Lane.
3. Have a bite of Lunch: Harris + Hoole
Want a cosy café that always has enough room for you and your friends to sit? Located on Fleet Street with both a main floor and an underground section, Harris + Hoole is perfect for lunch on a rainy day. Incredibly, their sourdough toast and bap options (think avocado toast, fried eggs, ham and cheese croissants, sausage rolls) are all priced between £3-£7 which, in an area so close to Covent Garden, is almost unheard of.
How to get there: walk down Fleet Street, and you’ll find it on the right just past Chancery Lane.
4. Down a cheeky pint: The Sherlock Holmes Pub
With such an iconic name, this isn’t a pub to miss! Sherlock Holmes is one of London’s most loved fictional characters, and one the world’s most loved detectives, famous for his ability to solve even the most seemingly impossible cases. Since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published the first Sherlock novel, A Study In Scarlet, in 1887, Sherlock continues to capture a huge audience, with new film and TV adaptations constantly being released.
I sampled this pub at the end of my first-year and loved it. Located on a quiet street just off Trafalgar Square, it really feels like a hidden gem. The interior has this cosy, wooden-decor vibe that’s perfect for the longer winter evenings, and the staff are all friendly. Don’t miss the Sherlock Holmes themed memorabilia!
How to get there: From King’s, walk along the Strand to Trafalgar Square, then turn left down Northumberland Avenue.
5. Experience some Culture: The Charles Dickens Museum
Charles Dickens is one of the most famous authors in the British literary canon. Between 1836 and 1870, he wrote fifteen novels, including Nicholas Nickleby and A Christmas Carol. This museum is unlike others in that it is situated in the author’s London home of two years. It was here that he finished writing Oliver Twist! In 1925, it opened as a museum, and has been arranged as though the author was still living there. Visiting allows you to step back into the world of 1837, offering you a closer glimpse of an author who had such a significant impact on British literary heritage.
How to get there: exit Bush House, walk up Kingsway, then continue walking up on Southampton Row. Turn right onto Guilford Street, then right again onto Doughty Street. At number 48, you’ll find the author’s home!
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