A guide to LSE residencies

A Student Guide to LSE Summer School Residences

Once you’ve decided to attend LSE Summer School, the next step is to decide where you want to live. While some people opt to find housing in London on their own, others decide to stay in one of LSE’s halls of residence. There are four main LSE Summer School residences: High Holborn, Passfield Hall, Urbanest Westminster, and Sidney Webb. Check out the guide below to discover the pros and cons of staying at each, and use this to help figure out which residence might be right for you!

During summer 2022, I stayed at High Holborn and had an amazing experience. My room had more space than I needed and I enjoyed meeting the others living in my flat. I loved being in the centre of the city and was surrounded by an abundance of delicious restaurants and shops (there was a Zara 900 feet from the building, which needless to say, was dangerous). I even found my favourite coffee shop just minutes away in Seven Dials!

High Holborn

Neighbourhood: High Holborn is located within its namesake, Holborn. Holborn is a very urban neighbourhood in the heart of London, near Covent Garden. When living here, you’ll be in the centre of the action. Due to its centrality, it is super easy to get to any part of London from Holborn.

Distance from LSE Campus: 10 minutes by foot. This makes it the closest residence to LSE’s campus!

Closest Tube stop: Holborn (Central and Piccadilly Lines). It is also very close to Leicester Square (Northern and Piccadilly Lines) and Tottenham Court Road (Central and Northern Lines).

Rooming style: You’ll live in a single room, which includes a bed (pillow and bedding included, changed three times a session by LSE faculty), desk and chair, wardrobe (with a few clothing hangers inside, you might want to buy more!), drawers, storage shelves, and a sink and mirror. You’ll share a bathroom and kitchen with your flat. Each flat consists of five single rooms.

Kitchen: Each flat comes with kitchen facilities. The kitchen includes a full size refrigerator, a large table and chairs, a freezer, oven and stove, toaster, and a few plates/eating/cooking utensils.

Workout facilities: No workout facility included. You can buy an optional membership to the LSE gym on campus.

Laundry facilities: There is a laundry facility in the basement. You must download and use an app to pay for and use the washers and dryers. Make sure to bring some sort of laundry bag!

Nearby: The British Museum, Theatre District, Royal Opera House, the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, Seven Dials Market, Soho.

Community Aspect: There definitely is a community aspect to High Holborn. You’ll get to know the people you share a flat with when you run into them in the hallway or kitchen, and many people gather for breakfast in the cafeteria.

Common Rooms: There is a cafeteria where an unlimited breakfast buffet is included (served from 8:00am-10:30am) and a common room in the basement with lots of comfy seating and a foosball table.

Heat/AC: The building has heating but no AC. Make sure you invest in a fan if you suspect an incoming heatwave!

Passfield Hall

Neighbourhood: Passfield Hall is located in Bloomsbury, a very quiet, safe, and residential area, and is known for its cosy and old feeling. It is removed from the busier neighbourhoods of London yet has many restaurants nearby and easy access to the heart of the city.

Distance from LSE Campus: 10 minute bus ride, or a 20-25 minute walk from Passfield.

Closest Tube stop: Euston (Northern and Victoria Line) and Russell Square (Piccadilly Line).

Rooming style: Passfield offers single and double rooms. Beds, desks, wardrobes, and sinks can be found in the rooms, with communal hallway bathrooms.

Kitchen: Hot breakfast is provided in the mornings.

Workout facilities: Like High Holborn, there isn’t a workout facility in the building, but you can pay to use the LSE gym on campus.

Laundry facilities: There is a laundry facility located in a separate building, but still very close to Passfield

Nearby: Kings Cross Station, the British Museum, Regent’s Park, Camden Market.

Community Aspect: Many people gather in the mornings for breakfast - it is hard not to make friends!

Common Rooms: There is a common area in the basement that serves as an excellent place to work or relax with a game of pool.

Heat/AC: Because there is no AC in Passfield, Jaden, a past resident from the United States, notes “get a fan. Or two. Or seven.”

Urbanest Westminster

Neighbourhood: Urbanest Westminster is located in Waterloo, which is just across the Thames from Westminster Abbey. Similar to High Holborn, it is in a very central and urban neighbourhood with amazing restaurants (I recommend Las Iguanas!)

Distance from LSE Campus: 25 minute walk by foot across Waterloo Bridge, 10 minute Santander bike ride, or 15 minute bus ride from Waterloo.

Closest Tube stop: Waterloo (Bakerloo, Jubilee, Northern and Waterloo City lines) and Westminster (District, Circle, and Jubilee Lines).

Rooming style: You’ll live in a single room within a three person flat, with a shared kitchen and bathroom. The room is complete with a desk, chair, closet, bedding, and lots of storage space.

Kitchen: The kitchen includes a refrigerator, freezer, microwave, stove, oven, and basic pots, pans, dishes and utensils.

Workout facilities: A big perk of living in Urbanest is that you’ll get FREE access to the gym facilities in the basement (including the pool)! The gym is spacious with treadmills, bikes, stair masters, rowers, ellipticals, free weights, squat racks, weight machines, and a space for yoga and stretching. All you have to do is sign a waiver, and you’re all set.

Laundry facilities: There is a laundry facility in the building which you pay for using an app called Circuit. It is over two pounds for washing and drying, respectively.

Nearby: Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, London Eye, the Thames River, Southbank Market.

Community Aspect: It is easy to make friends in Urbanest! People hang out in the lobby, on the 18th floor common room (see below) and in the kitchen of their flat.

Common Rooms: Urbanest has a very spacious rooftop common room with beautiful views of the city. It is complete with an air hockey table, a ping pong table, and tables to do homework at or eat a meal around. Make sure to visit the outside patio during sunset!

Heat/AC: The lobby and gym have AC, but rooms are not air conditioned.

Sidney Webb

Neighbourhood: Sidney Webb is located in Bermondsey (Southeast London), making it the farthest residence from the LSE Campus. One Sidney Webb dweller, Saffron from the United States, notes that Bermondsey is not a neighbourhood that one would typically visit while in London. However, living here will get you out of the touristy areas into a diverse neighbourhood off the beaten path of the typical tourist.

Distance from LSE Campus: Walking from Sidney Webb to LSE’s campus would take over 45 minutes by foot, so most who live in Sidney Webb opt to take the bus or tube. It takes about 30 minutes on a bus to get to campus - the optimal amount of time to relax on the top of a double decker bus, listen to music, and enjoy the view!

Closest Tube stop: Borough (Northern Line)

Rooming style: In Sidney Webb, you’ll have a single bedroom with an ensuite bathroom.

Kitchen: There is one communal kitchen per floor with refrigerators, ovens, and typical cooking utensils.

Workout facilities: Sidney Webb has an in-house gym with a treadmill, ergometer, and bike!

Laundry facilities: Similarly to the other residences, Sidney Webb has a laundry facility adjacent to the gym that is operated through an app.

Nearby: Tate Modern, Borough Market, Shakespeare’s Globe, The Shard, Tower Bridge.

Community Aspect: Salvatore, a Summer School student from Italy, notes that it is “impossible not to make friends” while living at Sidney Webb.

Common Rooms: Not exactly a “room,” but Sidney Webb has a large outdoor courtyard where students congregate. Since rooms are not grouped into flats, the courtyard is a great way to meet other students living in different parts of Sidney Webb. There is also a big common room in the central block with couches and a TV.

Heat/AC: No air-conditioning, so open those windows and bring out those fans!

While each of the residences has their own perks and quirks, I promise that whichever one you choose will make for an amazing experience at LSE.

This blog was written by one of our 2022 Student Ambassadors, who are here to share their stories and help you understand the summer school experience at LSE.