Boris Johnson opens Imperial College London's Prince's Gardens
March 2010
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, visited Imperial College London, South Kensington, on 15 January 2010 to officially open the newly restored Prince's Gardens, marking the culmination of a seven year project which has seen the construction of seven new halls of residence, a shop, bar and a state-of-the-art sports centre plus the landscaping of the Gardens themselves.
The square has a prime location in London's cultural quarter and the western gateway to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, only moments from Hyde Park, the Games' triathlon venue. The work on Prince's Gardens started in 2002 demolishing out-dated accommodation, built in the 1960's, and replacing it with modern buildings offering over 800 comfortable brand new bedrooms in the heart of London. The buildings are designed to fit in aesthetically with the local area.
Many of the rooms enjoy views over Prince's Gardens, which have been landscaped with new pathways and plane trees.
In addition to this work, the College's sports centre Ethos opened on the north side of the square in April 2006offering state-of-the-art facilities including a 25m swimming pool, squash courts, 75-station fitness gym, sauna, steam room and spa.
The restored square, which was completed in summer 2009, also house a convenience store, Essentials, and Eastside bar and restaurant which offers great value food and drink in a contemporary setting overlooking the leafy Gardens.
Sir Keith O'Nions, Rector of Imperial College London, said:
"Exhibition Road is one of the great cultural thoroughfares of London and also an extremely popular one, bringing in around eleven and a half million visitors each year. Prince's Gardens is a pleasant and peaceful spot for them as well as for our students, staff and neighbours, and I'm proud that Imperial has restored it to such high quality. We're all honoured that the Mayor is joining us to celebrate the completion of the work."
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson says: "The restoration and development of the Prince's Gardens site, in the heart of London's inspiring museum quarter, will attract the very best minds to the capital keeping Imperial at the forefront of discovery and learning."
Whether you're visiting London for business or leisure, Imperial's accommodation is available from July to September.
To learn more visit www.imperial.ac.uk/summeraccommodation
