Queen's Lawn

Panoramic view of the Queen's Lawn from the base of the Queen's Tower. The tree-lined Imperial College Road is on the left

The Queen's Lawn is a green lawned area situated at the centre of Imperial College London's South Kensington campus,[1][2] next to the Queen's Tower and immediately to the north of Imperial College Road. It provides an open space of 1,600 sq metres, and is surrounded by the Abdus Salam Library, and the Sherfield administration, Chemistry, and Skempton buildings.[3] It is often the site of college events, including student bands, fairs, and balls, as well as student activism.[4][5][6]

In April 2006, the Imperial College student newspaper Felix reported that the college was seeking permission of Westminster City Council to develop part of the lawn into a three-storey modular building, however this has not come to pass.[7] A weekly farmer's market is held on Tuesdays,[8] and Queen's Lawn was also the site of a world record attempt for the largest jelly mosaic.[9]

A diagonal path was built across the lawn in 2021.[10]

  • Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture with bells and cannon fire, performed annually on the Queen's Lawn. The base of the Queen's Tower can be seen at the top of the picture
    Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture with bells and cannon fire, performed annually on the Queen's Lawn. The base of the Queen's Tower can be seen at the top of the picture
  • The Central Library, the college's main academic library, overlooks Queen's Lawn. The top two floors were built as part of a modern extension to the library
    The Central Library, the college's main academic library, overlooks Queen's Lawn. The top two floors were built as part of a modern extension to the library
  • Sherfield Building, the central administrative building, from across the lawn. On the first floor are the junior and senior common rooms
    Sherfield Building, the central administrative building, from across the lawn. On the first floor are the junior and senior common rooms
  • Imperial College Road runs along the south side of the lawn. The Chemistry Building is across the road
    Imperial College Road runs along the south side of the lawn. The Chemistry Building is across the road
  1. ^ The Queen's Lawn, UK: Imperial College London, retrieved 21 September 2015
  2. ^ Hobhouse, Hermione (5 March 2002). The Crystal Palace and the Great Exhibition: Science, Art and Productive Industry: The History of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. A&C Black. p. 397. ISBN 978-0-8264-7841-2. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  3. ^ "South Kensington Campus Map" (PDF). Imperial College London. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Black tie for Summer Ball". Felix. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  5. ^ Pallister, Katy. "Having a Ball". Imperial College Student Blog. Imperial College London. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Imperial students call for VC Alice Gast to resign after she admits to bullying claims". The Tab. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  7. ^ "College seek planning permission for three storey modular building on Queen's Lawn". Felix. UK. Archived from the original on 15 October 2006.
  8. ^ "South Kensington (Tuesdays) Farmers' Market". www.lfm.org.uk. London Farmers' Markets. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  9. ^ "5 Guinness World Records only S'poreans are capable of setting that will make you go 'Whut?'". mothership.sg. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Imperial unveils revitalised green space at the heart of campus | Imperial News | Imperial College London". Imperial News. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2023.