Pembridge Hall consists of 3 white houses (with three levels each). The rooms in Pembridge Hall are either single or double – sizes vary according to the price you pay and whether you have an en suite
room or not. Pembridge Hall and Parsons House are sister halls as we have the same warden, although we are not located physically close to each other.
Pembridge Hall is one of the furthest halls away from Imperial College as it is situated across Hyde Park. The walk to school takes about 30 minutes. Although you could easily take a bus or the tube, the
amount of time you save is not really significant, given the unpredictability of London’s public transport system and roads. It is lovely, however, walking to school every day as the bulk of your journey to
college takes place in Kensington Gardens. While it gets chilly during Winter, it is awfully refreshing during Spring when you see Nature’s hand at work. Do note that during Winter, Hyde Park is closed
early and you won’t be able to cut through Hyde Park, meaning that you will take about 40 minutes to get back. This could really seem like a gloomy eternity during the bleak months of Winter. You will also
be quite far away from the rest of your Singaporean friends, who are mostly in halls in Princes Gardens / Evelyn Gardens. That means that it could be quite troublesome if you are the sort who loves to go hallvisiting frequently, since at the end of the day, you will still have to trudge back home!
Despite the distance from school, Pembridge Hall is situated in a very livable place! Everything (except college) is just a minute away – affordable places to eat, fast food, pharmacies, bookstores, stationary
shops, photo shops, theatre, Marks and Spencers, Gap, clubs, pubs and all four major banks! Tesco is a mere 3 minute walk away too so you can pop by to do your groceries whenever you want (no need to
lug a luggage like all Prince’s Gardens people do). You could also walk to Westfields – the biggest shopping mall in Europe – in 20 minutes or get to Bayswater in 10 minutes on foot to buy your oriental
grocery needs or to have some yummy Asian food. The famous Portobello Market is also located behind the hall. There are also a fair number of shops and food places at Westbourne Grove which is only 10 minutes away.
The facilities at Pembridge Hall are pretty normal. Don’t expect hotel-like furnishing as with the newer halls like Southside / Eastside – it’s more like a homely place. You get a sink in your room and for those
staying in non-en suite rooms, somehow there’s not much of a need to worry about the morning toilet rush or bathing times. There is also wireless Internet available in the levels closer to the ground floor, so
if you are lucky and you need WIFI, you’ll be happy. The room sizes can differ quite a bit, but again, if you are lucky, you’ll find that your room has more than enough space given the price that you pay.
There is also a games room with a free pool table and a table tennis table, as well as a common room with a bare-minimum piano and a xbox. The three halls share two kitchens – one in the basement and
one on the ground level. Kitchens can get quite crowded and dirty during mealtimes – but it all depends on the people staying in the hall in your year. Unlike the newer halls close to school, the space in the fridge is not compartmentalized and locked, so it’s literally “free-for-all”. You get lockers to put your utensils and food stuffs in though. However, it is one of the few halls that you have a personal fridge in
your room! It saves you lots of trouble.
The wardens are generally nice and friendly and repairs/requests to the hall supervisors generally get dealt with fast and efficiently. Heating is pretty decent in Pembridge and you could pretty much survive
with a summer duvet through Winter. The best thing is that wardens will organize free hall breakfast every Sunday.
In general, Pembridge Hall is a good place for people who do not mind walking long distances (it’s good exercise and bonding), want to save money on rent and are not picky with high-end furnishing.