Self Guided Campus Tour Queen Mary, University of London
central London’s only campus university
Welcome We’re delighted to welcome you to Queen Mary, University of London and we hope you enjoy your tour of the College. This self-guided tour is a suggested route of our Mile End campus and should take no longer than an hour to complete. Should you need any assistance whilst on your tour, please do not hesitate to approach our friendly students and staff. Please turn to the final pages of this guide for a map of the campus which will provide any additional directions you need.
History in brief... 1882 Westfield College established with the specific objective of preparing women for degrees from the University of London 1887 Queen Victoria formally opens the Queen’s Hall of the People’s Palace, the establishment of what is now Queen Mary, University of London, to provide a library, reading rooms, a swimming pool, gymnasium and winter gardens for the local people 1915 Fully admitted as a School of the University of London in the Faculties of Arts, Science and Engineering 1938 Students, staff and College administration transfer to Cambridge for the duration of the war; men to King’s College and women initially to Girton College. Queen Mary College is used as a base for the armed forces. 1995 Queen Mary and Westfield College merges with St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College and The London Hospital Medical College. 2000 College adopts the working name Queen Mary, University of London, retaining its legal title as Queen Mary and Westfield College Information from From Palace to College published by Queen Mary College, 1985
Queens’ Building (No.1 on map) This is the starting point for your campus tour. Facing the reception desk walk through the double doors to the left and follow the corridor to the right, passing through another set of double doors. The Queens’ Building is the College’s oldest building and at one point housed all Departments. It is now used mainly for administrative purposes, housing the Residences, Fees and Admissions Offices. The top floor is home to the Department of Economics. Continue along the corridor until you reach the Careers Service on your left. This is open and free to all Queen Mary students, offering a range of services including drop-in advice sessions, practice interviews and a comprehensive information library. Stocking the most up-to-date careers publications, most of which are available for students to take away. Opposite the Careers Service is another set of doors – pass through these and you will find the Octagon on your left. If the doors are open and the room is not in use please take a look inside. This was the original library of the People’s Palace, completed in 1887. It’s design was inspired by the Reading Room at the British Museum. The Octagon is one of the few remaining elements of the original People's Palace complex which was intended to bring education and entertainment to the poor of the East End. The Octagon was completely refurbished in 2006 and is now used for exams, conferences and registration during Freshers’ Week. It also recently hosted its first wedding: of two Queen Mary graduates! Continue forward through the double doors and turn left; you are now in Principals’ corridor. Take a look along both walls; all of the portraits are of former Principals of the university.
Geography Square (No. 2 on map) Once you reach the end of Principals’ corridor, go through the double doors and down the stairs. Turn left to find yourself in an open area known as Geography Square. In the far corners of the square you will see the Advice and Counselling and Health Services. The Advice and Counselling Service offers a range of free and confidential professional services to all Queen Mary students, and can advise on a range of financial, practical and legal issues including budgeting and international student issues. The Health Service is open to both students and staff. Students living on campus or within Tower Hamlets postcodes can register and make appointments with either the nurse or doctor on campus during term-time. At all other times services are provided at the Globe Town Surgery in Bethnal Green, a short walk from the Mile End Campus. With the Geography Building behind you, follow the path around the back of the Queens’ Building. You will walk past the Post Room (on the left), the newly refurbished non-denominational prayer rooms on the right and the The Fogg Building (the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, No. 3 on the map) further along on your right.
Students’ Union (No. 4 on map) Continue walking until you reach Bancroft Road; cross the road and walk through the gates to the left which is the entrance to the Students’ Union. Please feel free to look around. The Students’ Union is run by students for students and is responsible for producing Cub, the College’s student magazine, and also organises a packed calendar of entertainment events for students. The Union runs over 100 different clubs and societies, so whether you are interested in football, politics, belly dancing or mountaineering, you should be able to find something to suit your interests. The Union also houses Infusion, which sells newspapers, food and drink and stationery, plus the newly refurbished Drapers Bar which is divided into two areas: one for food and drink (which becomes a dance area), and a second bar area for functions and themed nights. On the first floor of the Union is QMotion (please note that only members are able to enter the gym), the new health and fitness complex which includes a fully equipped gym with trained gym instructors, a dedicated stretching area, two studios (predominantly for classes), a sports specific area, a women's only gym, a squash court and recreational sports hall. Leave the Students’ Union following the way you came in, cross over the road and continue back through the campus, retracing your steps to Geography Square (No. 2 on map).
Library Square (No. 4 on map) Continue forward, following the path around the Geography Building and towards Library Square. You will see a sculpture in the middle of the square, ‘Knowledge’. Have a look at the plaque at the base of the sculpture for a little more information about it. Enter the foyer of the Library through the revolving door – unfortunately you won’t be able to go through the turnstiles as access is limited to students and staff only. The purpose built Library is extremely wellequipped and contains over 600,000 volumes. Our inter-library loans system makes it easy for students to get all the academic resources they need. The Library subscribes to many journals and periodicals and also houses an extensive video library. There are different areas to study in within the Library, including quiet and group study areas, and clusters of networked IT workstations. There are also wireless networks for laptops, plus scanning and photocopying facilities. There are excellent computer facilities on the ground floor and over 1,000 terminals on Campus. Additionally, all Departments have their own computer rooms. At Queen Mary we also provide a growing virtual library available day and night from home and on campus, offering access to all our electronic resources. Continue forward and leave the Library through the back exit. In front of you is Ground (No. 9 on map), the Students’ Union run café which serves Costa coffee. To the right, at the top of the silver staircase is The Hive, a relaxed and informal environment for group and social study equipped with around 50 computer terminals. There is also a John Smith’s bookshop (No. 11 on map) and a branch of Barclays Bank on campus. Walk back to Library Square keeping the Library to your right; ahead of you should be Bar Med (No. 8 on map), a catering outlet specialising in 'made to order' burgers, baguettes, salads, pastas and speciality dishes.
Westfield Student Village (No. 14 on map) Exit Library Square to the right and you will pass the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish Cemetery, dating from 1726. Ahead of you is the Westfield Student Village. Explore the two restaurants: The Curve (No. 12 on map) and World Marché (No. 15 on map), plus the Village Shop (No.13 on map) and the Blomeley Centre, which houses the Students’ Union offices, including the Student Support Office which provides comprehensive information and support and guidance on academic issues. There are also computer terminals with full internet access available for students’ use. The majority of Queen Mary’s halls of residence are in the Student Village. All bedrooms are carpeted and equipped with a bed, wardrobe, bookshelves, desk, chair and storage space, central heating and internet connections. There are communal kitchens for 3-11 students, with refrigerators/freezers, cookers, microwave ovens (in flats with six people or over), washing-up facilities, storage cupboards, food preparation surfaces and dining areas. There are also three launderettes and a central reception and security office (staffed 24 hours a day). Walk along Westfield way towards Mile End Road and you will see the award-winning Lock-keeper’s Cottage (Humanities and Social Science Graduate Centre) on the left and the Law and Arts buildings on the right. You have now reached the end of your tour.
Self Guided Campus Tour Map
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Thank you for taking the time to visit us at Queen Mary, University of London. We hope you enjoyed your campus tour. Please do not hesitate to contact us again if you have any further questions:
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Tel: 0207 882 5544 email: campustours@qmul.ac.uk www.qmul.ac.uk/visitus/opendays/