F A C I L I T I E S
Building
In 2009 the LIMS opened a new five-floor research centre in the heart of Mayfair, London. Originally a mid-18th-century house, the Grade II* listed building was redesigned for interdisciplinary research without the usual departmental
barriers. The research space is made up of rooms on all length scales, where
theorists can work singly or in groups. Pictures of the building and its restoration, taken by physicist Sebastian
Ahnert, can be found here.
Library
LIMS possesses a modest collection of scientific books and subscribes to the
leading scientific journals, including Nature, Science, Physical Review Letters, Physical Review, Jounral of Physics and Physics Today.
LIMS at 35a South St.
Seminar room
LIMS’ seminar room is on the ground floor and can hold 50 people. It is also a meeting point for coffee, conversation and calculating,
with a working fireplace which is used throughout the winter. Recently, the refurbished seminar room was inaugurated by Lord May of Oxford,
former President of the Royal Society.
Ground floor seminar room.
Pubs and cafes
The two closest pubs are the Audley, pictured right, and the Punch Bowl, and
many more pubs are with a few minutes walk; a map and details can be found here. Some theorists like to work in cafes. Some of the best for doing calculations
are Truc Vert (42 North Audley St, free wifi), Prezzo (15 North Audley St, free wifi), Richoux (41a South Audley St, no wifi) and Prezzo (17 Hertford St, free wifi).
The Audley pub.
Computing and calculating
The Institute provides Macintosh desktops and laptops (or PCs at their
discretion), wifi access and Time Capsule backup for all its members. It has 70 feet of custom-built blackboards, the longest of which is 17 feet across.
Basement blackboard.
Places to stay
At the top floor of the Institute are guest rooms for Fellows and visiting
scientists. Mayfair is home to London's grandest hotels, but more modestly priced hotels can
also be found close by. The Wignore Court Hotel is a modestly priced hotel in the model of a bed and breakfast (0.7 miles away). A more expensive option, but one of exceptional value, is the Chesterfield Hotel, with a notable bar (0.3 miles away); LIMS has an arrangement whereby visiting scientists can stay there
at reduced rates.
Chesterfield hotel.
Nearby universities and libraries
Close by the Institute are a number of the UK's leading universities, including University College London (1.5 miles away), Imperial College (1.8 miles away) and King's College (2.2 miles away). The London Library, the world's largest independent lending library, is 1.0 miles away, and the British Library, one of three copyright libraries in England, is 1.7 miles away.
London library.
Parks
About 50 yards from LIMS is Mount Street Gardens, a small, quiet park between St George’s Church and the Church of the Immaculate Conception. A few minutes’ walk away in the opposite direction is Hyde Park which, along with the
contiguous Kensington Gardens, spans 625 acres.
Mount St Gardens.