Hall of residence: the short version
- University
- King's College London, owned and run by the university
- Address
- 165 Great Dover Street, Borough, SE1 4XA
- Size
- Around 769 rooms, all en-suite, first-year undergraduates only
- Catered
- No, self-catered with shared kitchens
- Nearest area page
- Borough
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
Great Dover Street is part of the A2, a through route with buses and steady traffic in both directions, so it is not a road where a van can sit with its hazards on while someone carries a room up. The residential streets either side are Southwark controlled parking, which means a paid bay or a legal loading stop during controlled hours rather than whatever kerb is free. King's gives new residents its own arrival guidance for the September weekend and that is the plan to follow on the day. Outside that weekend we stop where it is legal to load, as close to the entrance as the road allows, and carry from there.
More on Borough parking and access →Seven hundred first years, most of them arriving by car
Because every resident is in their first year, Great Dover Street fills with families who have driven in from outside London and have no idea where to stop, which is a different problem from a hall of returning students who know the area. The road ends up with a line of cars looking for a gap on a bus route, and the ones that cope best are the ones who booked an early arrival and came with everything already packed into bags.
If a parent is driving you in, it can still be cheaper and quicker to send the boxes with us the day before or the morning of, so the car only has to carry people and a suitcase and can leave rather than circling Borough for somewhere to wait.
Self-catered, with a large ensuite option
The rooms come in two sizes: a standard en-suite of roughly ten square metres with a single bed, and a large en-suite of around sixteen square metres with a double. The second holds noticeably more by June, and a double duvet, pillows and a year of shopping take up more of a van than people expect, so tell us which you are in when you ask for a price.
It is self-catered, so the kitchen box is worth bringing, but the kitchens are shared, and a short conversation with flatmates in the first week about who has a toaster saves a lot of duplicated clutter at the end of the year when it all has to go somewhere.
Worth knowing
- Take an early arrival slot, before Great Dover Street fills with parents looking for somewhere to stop
- Say whether you are in a standard or a large en-suite, since the large rooms hold more by June
- Send the boxes with us and let the family car carry people, which saves circling a bus route
- Clear the shared kitchen of your food and pans a few days before your contract ends
- Book the June move before exams, when every first year in the building is leaving the same week
Great Dover Street Apartments: common questions
How much does it cost to move into Great Dover Street Apartments?
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. A large en-suite with a double bed tends to sit a little higher in that band because there is more in it.
Can you park outside Great Dover Street Apartments?
Not for long. Great Dover Street is part of the A2, a busy through road with buses, and the side streets are Southwark controlled parking. On the September weekend follow the arrival guidance King's sends you. At any other time we use the nearest legal place to load and carry from there, which for one room adds minutes rather than hours.
Who can live at Great Dover Street?
It is owned and run by King's College London and the university lists it as available only to first-year undergraduates. That is why it turns over almost completely every summer, and why the June and September weekends here are as busy as anywhere we work.
Is Great Dover Street catered?
No, it is self-catered with shared kitchens, so kitchen equipment is worth bringing. Agree with your flatmates who brings what before buying anything, because it all has to be carried out again at the end of the year.
Can you move my room into storage for the summer?
Yes. We take it to a storage facility in June and bring it to your next address in September, £280 to £620 for both legs booked together. You pay the facility for the storage itself; we do not keep goods on our own premises.