The London Centre accommodates up to 25 students a term and is located in the heart of the fashionable Bloomsbury neighborhood at 98-103 Great Russell Street. To learn more about the London Centre, its accommodations and neighborhood, click on the links below.
Flats
At the London Centre students live in modern, comfortable, self-contained flats, which they share with other Lawrence University students. Each flat consists of two or three rooms with two or three beds each. Flats feature:
- Free WiFi
- Flat-screen television
- Kitchen with microwave oven, electric range, refrigerator, freezer, sink, cupboard space, cookware, dishes, and silverware
- Plenty of storage space
- Safe for each student to safely store laptops and valuables
- Bed linens and towels are provided
The flats are cleaned by housekeepers once a week, which includes a weekly change of bed linens and towels.
London Centre Facilities
At the London Centre, students may enjoy the use of the following facilities and amenities:
- Classrooms
- Lecture hall/theatre
- Three computer labs with printing facilities (small charge for printing and copying)
- Library with a librarian and IT assistants, where students can access books, DVDs, travel guides, newspapers and magazines, as well as quiet study areas
- Student lounge
- Free laundry facilities
- Free WiFi throughout the building
The Campus is monitored by a 24-hour reception/security staff and requires secure swipe-card access.
Neighborhood
The Lawrence London Centre is located in Bloomsbury – a safe, clean, central area – which is part of the Royal Borough of Camden. Established as a fashionable residential area in the 17th and 18th century, it still features a large number of green spaces with its private and public squares.
Nearby
The London Centre is within walking distance to Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square and Soho and our neighbours include:
• British Museum
• RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art)
• London Contemporary Dance School
• Charles Dickens Museum
• Wellcome Collection
• British Library
• Senate House Library
• University College London, where London Centre students can join the UCL student union during their term in London.
Famous For
Bloomsbury is famous for its residents, including Charles Dickens, but most of all for the artists of the Bloomsbury group, including the author Virginia Woolf, her sister and painter Vanessa Bell, writer Lytton Strachey, and the painters Roger Fry and Duncan Grant.
Getting Around
The nearest tube stations for the London Centre are Tottenham Court Road (Northern, Central, and soon the Elizabeth Line), Goodge Street (Northern Line), Warren Street (Victoria and Northern Line), Euston Square (Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith & City Line), and Holborn (Piccadilly and Central Line). Most London airports, including London Heathrow, can be reached by tube and/or train within one hour.
Shops and Gyms
There are several shops and a wide range of cafes and restaurants close by, as well as several gyms, one with an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, which can be accessed for a small fee as a day guest.
History of Current Location
The buildings that house the current London Centre have evolved over 300 years and are registered on the British National Heritage list. In 1685, Thomas Tufton, Earl of Thanet, acquired a plot of land on the north side of Great Russell Street. On this land he built his grand terrace home, Thanet House, which was constructed in the Georgian style of the time. Buildings adjacent to the original Thanet House were built some time between 1685 and 1693. By the late 1600s these buildings, along the fringe of fashionable Bloomsbury, were frequented by members of the aristocracy and gentry. Indeed, both the Peacock Room and the Adams Room were once drawing rooms for the elite of London and both once had beautiful long country views to the north, up towards Highgate and Hampstead.
Since December 1992, Florida State University has been the freeholder for the site, running their own study abroad programme here, as well as hosting other U.S. institutions.
