Italian restaurant near Senate HouseBloomsbury's Art Deco landmark and Orwell's Ministry of Truth, 12 minutes from Fiena

After the First World War, the University of London, then based in Kensington, badly needed more space. In 1921 the government bought land in Bloomsbury from the Duke of Bedford, but the plan stalled until William Beveridge became vice-chancellor in 1926. Beveridge persuaded the Rockefeller Foundation to donate £400,000, and the site was bought back in 1927. He wanted a building that "could not have been built by any earlier generation than this", "an academic island in swirling tides of traffic, a world of learning in a world of affairs".

The architect was Charles Holden, best known for his London Underground stations and 55 Broadway, then the tallest office building in London. His original plan was enormous: a single building stretching almost 370 metres from Montague Place to Torrington Street, with two towers. King George V laid the foundation stone on 26 June 1933, but money ran short, and only Senate House and its library were completed, in 1937. The building has 19 floors and stands 64 metres tall, faced in Portland stone. It was listed Grade II* in 1969.

During the Second World War, Senate House was used by the Ministry of Information, and it inspired two famous pieces of fiction. Graham Greene's novel The Ministry of Fear (1943) became a Fritz Lang film set in Bloomsbury. And the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) is thought to be modelled on it; Orwell's wife Eileen worked in the building for the Censorship Department.

Not everyone loved it. Evelyn Waugh described "the vast bulk of London University insulting the autumnal sky", while the architect Erich Mendelsohn wrote to Holden that there was "no finer building in London".

Its imposing look has made Senate House a favourite filming location, usually standing in for official buildings. It has appeared in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight Rises, Fast & Furious 6 and the James Bond film No Time to Die (as MI6 reception), and on television in The Crown and Killing Eve. It's also where the opening chapters of John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids are set. Today it holds the Senate House Library, with around three million volumes, and hosts conferences and events. Background from Wikipedia's Senate House page. For events and visiting, check the University of London's own website before you go.

It's about 930 metres, around 12 minutes on foot (walking route from OpenStreetMap), heading north-east through Bloomsbury towards Judd Street. Making a day of it? See our posts on the British Museum, Russell Square, the Brunswick Centre and Tavistock Square.

Before a library day: breakfast runs from 08:00 to 14:00, with coffee all day. Try the Classic Benedict, the Granola bowl with Greek yoghurt, or a Breakfast bap to keep you going. See breakfast until 2pm and breakfast meetings.

Lunch break: the main menu starts at midday, with pasta, pizza and salads. The Spaghetti carbonara, the Penne arrabbiata or a Chicken Caesar are quick, satisfying choices. See salads and light lunches and dining alone at Fiena.

After a conference: the kitchen serves until 22:00 Monday to Saturday and 21:00 on Sunday, with cocktails and Italian wines from the bar. Bringing colleagues? See group dining and after-work dinner.

Guests who find us often come back. Celia Discovered this place on Sunday and went back again on Thursday it was that good! (Celia, Google review) Nick, on a business trip, found that the level of service and the quality of the food was really good. (Nick, Google review) And Mohamed, who loves our chai latte, wrote: This cafe is phenomenal! (Mohamed, Google review)

“Very good spot.”

John, Google review, 2026