Hall of residence: the short version
- Run by
- University of London, intercollegiate
- Address
- 1 Cartwright Gardens, Bloomsbury, WC1H
- Size
- Around 1,200 rooms
- Catered
- Both, plus self-contained flats and townhouses
- Open to
- Students at any University of London institution
What it costs
Everything below includes VAT, the crew, the van, the wrapping, the fuel and the Congestion Charge where it applies.
| Job | Price |
|---|---|
| One room, within LondonBed linen, clothes, books, a desk lamp and a bike | £150 to £340 |
| Room into summer storage, and back in SeptemberBoth legs quoted together, which is cheaper than booking twice | £280 to £620 |
| Hall to Heathrow or GatwickCases and boxes, with time built in for the drive | £120 to £260 |
| End of term room clearanceWhat you are not taking, disposed of with a waste transfer note | £120 to £280 |
Loading and parking
Cartwright Gardens is a Georgian crescent in the Bloomsbury conservation area, Camden controlled parking, with the garden and tennis courts in the middle and a single curved road round the outside. It is a pleasant street and a finite one: there is not room for a hundred vehicles at once, which is why the University runs timed arrivals in September and why an unbooked van in the middle of that weekend is a problem rather than a help. Outside the arrival weekend the crescent is quiet and loading is straightforward.
More on Bloomsbury parking and access →A thousand arrivals on one crescent
The University allocates arrival slots and marshals the crescent, and the system is the only reason it works. Take the slot you are given. If you have a choice, early Saturday or later on Sunday beats the middle of the weekend by a wide margin.
Because Garden Halls takes students from any University of London institution, it fills from a dozen different term calendars at once. That is why the arrival window is wider here than at a single-university hall, and why the last weekend of September is busier than the first.
Catered, self-catered and townhouses are different moves
Garden Halls covers en-suite catered rooms, self-catered rooms, studios and townhouse-style rooms, and the amount you bring differs across all four. A catered en-suite needs no kitchen at all. A townhouse room shares a proper kitchen and is worth equipping.
Tell us which you are in. It changes the van, the crew and the price, and it is the fact most often left off a booking form.
Worth knowing
- Take the arrival slot you are given, because 1,200 rooms on one crescent only works if everyone does
- Say whether you are catered, self-catered or in a townhouse room
- Label boxes with the block and room rather than your name
- Book the June move before exams: intercollegiate halls empty across a wider window but the first week is still the worst
- The crescent is quiet outside the arrival weekend, so a mid-term move is genuinely easy here
Garden Halls: common questions
How much does it cost to move into Garden Halls?
A single room is £150 to £340 including VAT, most around £220, covering the crew, the van, the wrapping, the fuel and the Congestion Charge. Storage out in June and back in September is £280 to £620 for both legs together.
Which universities can live at Garden Halls?
Any University of London institution. It is intercollegiate accommodation run by the University itself rather than by one college, so UCL, LSE, SOAS, King's, Birkbeck, Queen Mary and the rest all have students there.
Can you park on Cartwright Gardens?
Outside the September arrival weekend, yes, easily: it is a quiet Camden crescent and loading is straightforward. During the arrival weekend the University runs timed slots and marshals the road, and turning up outside your slot helps nobody.
What is the difference between the room types for moving?
A catered en-suite needs no kitchen equipment at all. A self-catered room or a townhouse room shares a real kitchen and is worth equipping properly. That difference is a van load in each direction, so tell us which you are in when you ask for a price.