Welcome to Campus! Now to work out where to go 🤔. Whether you are looking for a quiet space to study, find somewhere to eat amazing food, or think about spots you might want to go to when nice weather finally comes back around, this is your go to guide!
Matthew Paterson
VP Education
Welcome to Campus! Now to work out where to go 🤔. Whether you are looking for a quiet space to study, find somewhere to eat amazing food, or think about spots you might want to go to when nice weather finally comes back around, this is your go to guide!
Check out the campus map!
Studying
Emily Wilding Davison Building (The Library):
Let's start with the obvious one. If you are looking for a place to study, the massive library opposite Founders is probably the best place to check first. It has three floors (with group, silent, and whisper study zones) and has rooms available for booking on this website. These group rooms also have screens to put your work on a big screen so you and your friends can all see the same PowerPoint (or maybe a film too…)
Founders Reading Room:
A silent study zone hidden in Founders. Once you've actually managed to find this space - as well as your way out - you'll definitely head back again. The space is open 24/7 and looks like it's been ripped straight from Hogwarts. Make sure to take pictures and show off to your friends from home that your Uni looks better than theirs!
Student Lounges:
Windsor was the first Student Lounge at Royal Holloway. These spaces are more of a hybrid between socialising and getting on with some work. A major bonus of Windsor is the two microwaves it boasts to reheat your meal prep in between lectures.
With that said, this year the focus of Sabbatical Officers like myself is centred around Priority 8, with one of my student-voted priorities being to increase the amount of social and study spaces on Campus. Over the year, I'll be pushing for the University to make more spaces for all of you and advertise more unknown spaces - so stay tuned through the Priority 8 Hub and by my Instagram (@rhsueducation) to find out about new and hidden spaces over this year!
I've already been doing work to get new Student Lounges for students this year, so stay tuned for some exciting announcements...
Places to Eat and Socialise
SU Shop:
Ok fine, it's not somewhere to socialise (as a former employee, it's actually really annoying), but it's definitely a place to grab food between lectures. You can find this space in the library, and even better, this year you will be able to buy hot coffee and baked items cooked and made fresh from Break, the new bakery run by the SU!
Tommy's Lounge:
Found on the floor of the SU Building, Tommy's Lounge is not only attached to the office I am writing this in, but is a great non-transactional space to spend time in between lectures. Not only are there comfortable sofas and chairs, but also two microwaves and a selection of books!
The Packhorse:
Run by the SU, The Packhorse is a short walk over the road from Campus. Here you can find some really amazing food (try the Double Crunch Fries). If you're looking for a bargain, you can also find Double Down Tuesdays, with pints for the price of a half, double-ups on house spirits and burgers, and discounted sides! Make sure to use your RHSU Order App to earn points for future spending!
On-Campus Cafes:
Boilerhouse, Café on the Square, and Crosslands are all open through the day and are great places to grab a drink and a quick snack to hang out with friends. Crosslands also serves pizza and jacket potatoes, as well as alcohol, so it has more of a bar vibe in the evening. At these times, you'll also be able to find the Crosslands pub quiz on Wednesdays!
The Hub and Founders Dining Room:
These are spaces where you can get yourself a full meal throughout the week. I've never been myself, but am reliably informed by my friends who were in catered accommodation that I have missed out. In the Hub, you will also be able to find Kimiko (serving hot Japanese food - I have been here too much), and Imagine, which serves Bubble Tea!
Secret Spots
Library Roof:
Admittedly, neither of these spaces are secret, but the title sounds a lot better than 'Spaces that are often forgotten'. Firstly, there is the roof of the library. From here, you can get great views of Founders and find a good place to sit. The reason this is probably forgotten is that since it's outside, it's often a little chilly, soit might be more suitable for a Term Three post-exam debrief.
Founders Field:
Again, probably more suitable for sunny weather (especially if it's wet), but this is a great area for a picnic or ice cream, or to play a game with your friends!
Thank you for reading, and as you settle into Campus, do your best to explore as many of these as you can and make the most of your time at RHUL!