[1] It is situated on Maple Street in central London, on the border of Fitzrovia and Bloomsbury and around one hundred metres from Tottenham Court Road.
[2] It occupies the same block as, and forms a single unified building with, the YMCA Indian Student Hostel designed by Ralph Tubbs and was constructed at the same time.
[6] Notable former residents include all four members of the British band Coldplay, who met whilst living at the hall.
The closest London Underground stations to the halls are King's Cross St Pancras and Angel.
James Lighthill House and Paul Robeson House, another hall of residence for the School of Oriental and African Studies, are both on the site of a former steel-stockbroking depot, owned and operated by Macready's Metal Co. Ltd.[15] The original warehouse, built in 1935, was designed by M. Stanley Blanchfield of Raynes Park.
Sir Michael James Lighthill, FRS (1924–1998) was an applied mathematician who is known for his pioneering work in the field of aeroacoustics.
He was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, a chair he held until 1979, when he was succeeded by Stephen Hawking.
The Hall also has a two laundry rooms (one in the Main House, one in the Annexe) and a number of small tea kitchens.