Strand Campus

When you think of Strand Campus, the central hub of King's College London located along the Thames in central London. Also known as King's Strand, it's where history meets student life in one of the city's most iconic academic settings. This isn't just another university building—it's a living piece of London. Since 1831, Strand Campus has stood where the old Royal Strand Theatre once stood, and its red-brick buildings have watched over generations of students, scholars, and even wartime efforts during both World Wars.

Strand Campus isn't just about lectures and libraries. It's a place where King's College London, one of the oldest and most respected universities in the UK. Also known as KCL, it's a global leader in law, humanities, and health sciences. runs its biggest departments. The Dickson Poon School of Law, the Department of War Studies, and the Faculty of Arts & Humanities all call Strand home. You'll find students rushing between seminars in the Maughan Library, grabbing coffee near the historic Keeling Court, or debating politics under the arches of the Sackler Wing. It's the kind of place where you can walk past a Nobel Prize winner in the hallway and not even notice—until you read their name on the door.

What makes Strand different from other campuses isn't just its location—it's how it blends into the city. You step out of the main entrance and you're on the Strand, one of London’s oldest thoroughfares. The National Gallery, Somerset House, and Covent Garden are all within walking distance. The DLR and Tube stations nearby mean students can hop to Waterloo, Temple, or Charing Cross in minutes. And unlike campuses tucked away in suburbs, Strand feels alive 24/7—whether it’s late-night study sessions, student theatre shows in the King’s College London Theatre, or pop-up food markets on the quad during term time.

There’s also the quiet magic of places like the Cloisters, where students sit under the stained glass reading ancient texts, or the old clock tower that still chimes on the hour. Even the building’s quirks—like the narrow staircases that haven’t changed since the 1950s or the broken elevator everyone pretends not to notice—are part of its charm. It’s not polished. It’s not sterile. It’s real.

If you're a student here, you learn fast: how to navigate the rush hour crowds on the Strand, where to get the cheapest coffee before 9 a.m., which stairwell leads to the quietest study spot. If you're just visiting, you’ll notice how the campus doesn’t feel like a fortress—it feels like a part of London itself. That’s why so many who pass through never leave—not just in body, but in spirit.

Below, you’ll find real stories from people who live, study, and work here. From tips on surviving exams in the Maughan Library to the best hidden lunch spots near the river, these posts give you the unfiltered truth about what Strand Campus is really like—not the brochure version, but the one you only learn after your third coffee refill and your fifth time getting lost in the basement corridors.