International Students House, London (colloquially shortened to ISH) is a set of lodgings for international and British students in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. It permanently occupies one large building in streets that faces Park Crescent which in turn across a square green faces the park itself. It operates as a financially self-supporting

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

under a

board of trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

. Approximately ten students apply for every place. Selection is distinct from that of London's colleges and universities where selection must also be gained. It is on the basis of a student's "demonstrated willingness to participate and become involved in the life of the House." Each year, the House admits

Fulbright scholars The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

and students attending places of advanced learning including

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

LSE LSE may refer to: Computing * LSE (programming language), a computer programming language * LSE, Latent sector error, a media assessment measure related to the hard disk drive storage technology * Language-Sensitive Editor, a text editor used ...

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

, UCL,

SOAS SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury are ...

London Business School London Business School (LBS) is a business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London. LBS was founded in 1964 and awards post-graduate degrees (Master's degrees in management and finance, MBA and PhD). Its motto is " ...

, The Royal Academy of Music,

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

Goldsmiths A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold. In German, the Goldsmith family name is written Goldschmidt. Goldsmith may also refer to: Places * Goldsmith, Indiana, United States * Goldsmith, New York, United States, a h ...

, The Architectural Association School of Architecture and BPP Law School, among others. Annually, the House, together with its partners, awards residential scholarships of over £800,000. ISH also has 70,000 non-resident members, which makes up a large proportion of the international students in London.

History

Student Movement House

Student Movement House at 32

Russell Square Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, built predominantly by the firm of James Burton. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. Almost exactly square, to the ...

(in the

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

district of London), was founded in 1917 as a social centre and hostel by the Student Christian Movement of Great Britain and Ireland. The House was founded with legacies from three of its members who had been killed in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and it was dedicated on 26 November 1917 as a memorial to British students who died in the war. The House was founded with the original intention of creating accommodation for Belgian and Russian refugee students but became a centre used by students of all countries. The House served as an important space for Bloomsbury's Black population during the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

and was well-known as a place where African and West Indian students would not experience discrimination. In 1932,

C.L.R. James Cyril Lionel Robert James (4 January 1901 – 31 May 1989),Fraser, C. Gerald, ''The New York Times'', 2 June 1989. who sometimes wrote under the pen-name J. R. Johnson, was a Trinidadian historian, journalist and Marxist. His works are in ...

described Student Movement House as "a club for London students, white and coloured, but with its chief aim giving coloured students in London the opportunity to meet together".

Mary Trevelyan Mary Trevelyan (22 January 1897 – 10 January 1983) was warden of the Student Movement House then founder and governor of International Students House, London, and founder of the Goats Club for foreign students. Through most of her working l ...

was appointed as Warden in 1933 and in 1938, the House relocated to Gower Street. The Gower Street building was left intact but leaning due to bombing in the

London Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

Park Crescent

The first building at 1–6 Park Crescent (known as GPS because of its entrance at 229

Great Portland Street Great Portland Street in the West End of London links Oxford Street with Albany Street and the A501 Marylebone Road and Euston Road. A commercial street including some embassies, it divides Fitzrovia, to the east, from Marylebone to the west. ...

) was acquired and rebuilt. It was opened in May 1965 by the Trust's Patron, Her Majesty

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...

. In 1968, a series of buildings designed by John Nash on York Terrace East also in the South

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...

neighbourhood (seven minutes walk from GPS) were acquired and rebuilt. They were subsequently named Mary Trevelyan Hall and opened in 1971. The House also built an underground garage in York Terrace East as part of the development. These four buildings combine to make up International Students House, providing over 700 beds (including 56 flats for students with families), three bars, a restaurant, internet access points, a fitness centre and public meeting rooms. In 1985, the original Trust was separated into two sister charities, operating in parallel, with the International Students Trust managing the investment portfolios and International Students House owning and operating the residences and the activities. As of 2010, ISH students represent more than 110 nations, and ISH has over 70,000 non-resident student members. ISH accepts UK students as well as international students to live or participate. The four main areas of operation are housing, provision of social facilities and activities, welfare and advice support and the provision of residential scholarships which together with the House's partners represents a £800,000 plus annual programme which received a Commendation in The Charity Awards 2002. The House operates as a financially self-supporting charity with a diverse number of self generated income streams. The House employs a total of around 130 staff who between them can speak at least 20 languages. ISH has been a recognised "

Investor in People Investors in People is a standard for people management, offering accreditation to organisations that adhere to the Investors in People Standard. From 1991 to January 2017, Investors in People was owned by the UK government. As of 1 February 20 ...

" since 1997, achieved "Customer First" recognition in 2009 and most recently obtained the Investor in People Gold Award in December 2011.

Stated mission

*To help students to achieve the academic, personal and leadership aims that have brought them to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

; *To provide the best possible opportunities for overseas students to experience the many facets of life in the UK and to give them a deeper understanding of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

society; *To give

students an opportunity to broaden their horizons through friendship with people from widely differing backgrounds and cultures; and *By these means to make an effective contribution to better international relations.http://www.ish.org.uk/about_us/Mission+Statement ISH mission statement

References

External links