Guildhall School of Music & Drama Travel Information Pack
Welcome‌ ‌to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama! The Guildhall School has excellent accessibility within the City of London, with the Metropolitan, Northern (bank branch), Circle and Hammersmith and City Lines all within short walking distance. There are extensive bus services, cycle routes and future Crossrail links all within reach. This document has been produced to show you how walking and cycling can provide a great alternative to driving your car or using local public transport services for most of your day-to-day journeys, which will not only help you save you time and money, but also become even healthier whilst doing your bit for the environment.
By Foot One of the simplest, easiest, and cheapest ways to get around is to walk. Good quality, direct and well lit pedestrian routes are provided around the Guildhall School, providing convenient routes to public transport. Aside from being the most environmentally friendly way to travel, walking regularly provides genuine health benefits. For adults, 30 minutes of walking five days a week dramatically cuts the risk of development heart disease, diabetes, obesity and some cancers. It also reduces cholesterol, lowers high blood pressure and is good for your sense of wellbeing. The best news is that walking burns nearly as many calories as jogging over the same distance, and, because it is low-impact exercise it won’t stress your knees. Walking is good for your heart and lungs, and is great for strengthening your muscles, bones and joints. By walking regularly anyone can greatly reduce their risk of suffering a stroke. Walking helps improve your mood and boosts selfesteem. As you get older regular walking helps maintain flexibility and coordination. Head to urban route planner www.walkit.com, for information on how to plan your journeys by foot.
Cycling Bicycles are one of the fastest modes of transport, door to door in London. Cycling produces significant health benefits. Cycling reduces your travel expenses. By not getting the tube you can normally recoup the cost of your bike in a couple of months. You could make significant fare savings relative to public transport with a zone 1-3 travel card costing £123 each month (or over £1,288 for an annual travel card). With the standing, running, congestion charging and parking costs associated with car ownership estimated up to £10,000 per year cycling is a very cheap, fast and healthy mode of transport and is growing in popularity as a consequence. In order to facilitate cycling as a means of transport the Guildhall School provides secure cycling parking spaces. Transport for London provide a cycle journey planner at www.cyclejourneyplanner.tfl.gov.uk which allows you to plan your journey before you leave the house according to your preference: easy, fast or leisure.
London Cycling Campaign The London Cycling Campaign is the Capital’s largest, most effective environmental organisation, seeking to help transform out city into a healthier, happier place to live. There are numerous benefits that accompany LCC membership including discounts in bike shops, cycle theft and third party insurance, free legal advice, local group membership and a subscription to London Cyclist magazine. To join simply go to www.lcc.org.uk. Cycle Training City of London offers subsidized training in safe, confident and considerate cycling for all those who work or study in the City. Training is conducted one-to-one with a dedicated expert instructor and is available for all levels. You can book training via www.cycletraining.co.uk or call 0207 231 6005. Cycle Hire Scheme The new Barclays Cycle Hire scheme is a public bicycle sharing scheme for short journeys in central London. The scheme is selfservice, so just turn up and go whenever you get the urge. No need to book. Ask the Sustainability Steering Group for a plan of the 400 cycle hire docking stations to choose from. To become a member sign up on http://web.barclayscyclehire.tfl.gov.uk/. Becoming a member has various benefits: Get a key (£3 each) for quick access to cycles Save money with annual access (just £45) or 24-hour or seven-day Choose to automatically renew your access period Manage your account and activities online
Bus Bus Route 153 operates along Chiswell Street, the nearest bus stop is Beech Street (BN) which is 250m from the Guildhall School. This bus service provides access to a number of local train and underground services enabling interchange facilities between bus and rail for onward journeys. The Table below shows the routes and frequency for local bus services.
Service
Closest Stop
Route Description
Peak Hour Frequency (per direction)
153
Finsbury Square (R & S)
Liverpool Street Station – Moorgate – Barbican Station –Westbourne Road – Finsbury Park Station
6
100
Moorgate Station (A & N)
Elephant & Castle – Blackfriars Station – Moorgate – Tower Hill – Wapping Station – Shadwell Station
6
43
Moorgate Station (L & B)
London Bridge Station – Bank – Old Street Station – Archway Station – Wilton Road – Friern Barnet
10
21
Moorgate Station (L & B)
Newington Green – Old Street Station – Moorgate – Bank – Borough Station – Old Kent Road - Lewisham
7
214
Finsbury Square (G & H)
Liverpool Street Station – Moorgate – Old Street Station – Kings Cross Station –Highgate Village
7
76
Moorgate Station (L & B)
Northumberland Park Station – Seven Sister’s Station – Old Street Station – Bank –Waterloo
7
141
Moorgate Station (L & B)
Palmers Green – Wood Green –– Old Street Station – Moorgate – Bank – London Bridge Station
7
205
Finsbury Square (K & C)
Paddington – Euston Station – Kings Cross St Pancras – Moorgate – Liverpool Street - Whitechapel
7
271
Finsbury Square (G & H)
Liverpool Street – Moorgate – Old Street Station – Highbury and Islington Station – Highgate Village
6
Underground Moorgate is the nearest underground station to the Guildhall School located on City Road (A501) which is 320m away or a 4 minute walk. Moorgate provides services on Northern (Bank branch), Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith and City Lines. The Table below shows the routes and frequency for services from Moorgate. Underground Line Northern (Bank Branch)
Direction
Peak Hour Frequency (AM)
Peak Hour Frequency (PM)
Southbound
19
21
Northbound
21
20
Eastbound
12
16
Westbound
13
15
Eastbound
6
6
Westbound
5
7
Eastbound
6
6
Westbound
6
6
Metropolitan
Circle
Hammersmith and City
See www.tfl.gov.uk for further details
Other nearby underground stations include Barbican, Farringdon, Old Street, St Pauls and Liverpool Street.
Train The nearest railway station to the Guildhall School is Moorgate Station. The station operates as part of the First Capital Connect providing services to Finsbury Park and Hertford. The table below shows the details of services from Moorgate station. Route
Route Description
Peak Hour Frequency (AM)
Peak Hour Frequency (PM)
Finsbury Park
Moorgate – Old Street – Essex Road – Highbury and Islington – Drayton Park – Finsbury Park
9
12
Welwyn Garden City
Moorgate – Finsbury Park – Alexandra Palace – New Barnet - Potters Bar – Welwyn Garden City
3
4
Hertford North
Moorgate – Finsbury Park – Alexandra Palace – Bowes Park – Gordon Hill – Hertford North
4
5
Stevenage
Moorgate - Finsbury Park – Alexandra Palace – Bowes Park – Hertford North Stevenage
2
2
See www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk for further details.
Other stations within walking distance of the Guildhall School include Old Street, Farringdon and Shoreditch High Street.
Travel Apps National Rail, Bus Checker & LT Free
Do you know your Carbon Footprint? Sustainable travel can help reduce your carbon footprint. It is estimated that trains emit 50% less than cars and up to 90% less than planes so when you can, use the train. If you drive to work in a petrol car, you could save up to 4kg of CO2 per journey by using the train over a typical 50km journey - halving your travel carbon footprint. If you stop commuting by car just once a week, you could reduce your travel carbon footprint by 20%. To calculate your carbon footprint, visit: http://carboncalculator.direct.gov.uk. Around 40% of CO2 emissions in the UK are caused by things we do as individuals. Car travel is the single biggest contributor to personal CO2 emissions; here are 5 ways to save 5 miles: Know before you go – using a journey planner can help you find the quickest and easiest route to travel by either car or public transport. Plan ahead – to combine car trips as part of the overall journey rather than separate trips. The CO2 and fuel cost savings add up, and make best use of precious time. It’s good to walk – it’s tempting to use the car to travel just a mile down the road, but it is the perfect distance to walk. Walking the one-mile trips instead of driving can save you over £160 each year in fuel. Website www.walkit.com provides an urban route planner that helps you plan journeys by foot. Life on two wheels – nearly a quarter of all car trips are under two miles. Cycling instead can take just 12 minutes, and is a great way to exercise – each two-mile trip can burn 100 calories. Share a car – travel with friends and family. Liftshare (www.liftshare.com) provides an online database that allows you to search for people travelling your way so that you can share your journey.