Getting to St Mary's University, Twickenham: the campus, the stations and a smooth arrival

A Catholic university with roots going back to 1850 and full university title since 2014, St Mary's University, Twickenham is known for its strengths in education, sport and the liberal arts, and for a genuinely close-knit campus community. Its home in Strawberry Hill — built around Horace Walpole's celebrated 18th-century Gothic Revival villa — is one of the prettiest in London higher education, with the Thames, Richmond Park and Bushy Park all close by. For students arriving for the first time and the families settling them in, the setting is a delight; the practical catch is a small campus with limited parking and a station that's lovely for a daytrip but fiddly with a term's luggage. Here's how to arrive without the friction.

01 / LOCATIONWhere exactly is St Mary's University?

The main campus is on Waldegrave Road, Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, London TW1 4SX, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It's a residential, riverside corner of south-west London, a short walk from Strawberry Hill House and a few minutes from Twickenham town centre. Parking on campus is limited and time-restricted, and surrounding streets are largely residents-only — so for arrivals a drop-off, not a park-and-stay, is the sensible plan.

02 / CAMPUSESThe Strawberry Hill campus and sports sites

St Mary's is refreshingly straightforward — a single main campus, with a couple of nearby sports sites:

• Strawberry Hill (main campus) — Waldegrave Road, home to teaching, the library, the students' union, halls of residence and Strawberry Hill House.
• Teddington Lock sports facilities — the university's playing fields and sports ground a short distance away (postcode TW11 9BE for sat-nav).
• Nearby university buildings — including sites further along Waldegrave Road.

For almost all visitors it's the Strawberry Hill campus you want — but if you're heading to a sports fixture or training session, check whether it's at Teddington Lock first.

03 / STATIONSNearest stations and getting around

St Mary's is a rail destination rather than a Tube one:

• Strawberry Hill station is about a five-minute walk, on South Western Railway's Kingston Loop — with direct trains to London Waterloo in around 35 minutes, roughly four an hour.
• Twickenham and Teddington stations are also within reach, with frequent services.
• No Underground serves Strawberry Hill — the nearest Tube is Richmond (District line), from where you take a short train to Strawberry Hill or buses such as the 33 or R68.

Day to day this is well connected and pleasant. The familiar catch applies on arrival day: a five-minute walk is easy with a backpack, much harder with suitcases, and step-free access isn't guaranteed at every platform.

04 / AIRPORTSAirport transfer times to St Mary's University

Here's St Mary's big advantage: tucked into south-west London near the A316 and M3, it's one of the closest universities to Heathrow — a genuine plus for international students. Every London airport connects, of course. The board below gives realistic door-to-door driving times for a pre-booked private hire car — a planning guide, since traffic varies.

From Heathrow

Heathrow is barely nine miles away, so for new and returning international students St Mary's is one of the easiest London arrivals there is. There's no simple direct train, though — rail involves heading into a London terminus and back out again — so a direct Heathrow airport transfer by car is the natural choice: the driver meets you in arrivals after baggage reclaim and takes you straight to the campus in well under an hour.

From the other airports

From Gatwick, Luton and Stansted, the rail routes mean a fast train into a London terminus then a cross-London hop and a final train out to Strawberry Hill. For a student with luggage, or a family arriving together, one car and one fixed price is the gentler option.

Few London universities sit this close to Heathrow. For arrivals with luggage, that's a real head start.

05 / MOVE-IN DAYArriving with luggage on move-in day

Move-in day is the one journey where the small things matter most. A pre-booked private hire transfer handles it neatly: a car sized to the boxes and cases, a driver who knows the Strawberry Hill backstreets, and a drop-off right by the campus entrance rather than a five-minute drag from the station. With campus parking limited and the local roads residents-only, a drop-and-go beats trying to park and stay. Choose an MPV if the whole family is helping, and everyone and everything arrives together for one fixed fare.

06 / VISITSOpen days, offer-holder days and graduation

For open days, offer-holder days and graduation, families often travel together and to a fixed timetable — and St Mary's parking won't stretch to lots of visitor cars. A pre-booked transfer means everyone arrives at the same time at the right place, with no circling for a space and no rush-hour stress on a day that matters. Graduation in particular, with smart clothes and proud grandparents in tow, is far more relaxed door-to-door than via the train and a walk.

07 / NEARBYWhat's around St Mary's University

Strawberry Hill and Twickenham are a lovely base for visiting families:

• Strawberry Hill House — Horace Walpole's Gothic Revival masterpiece, right beside campus.
• Twickenham Stadium — the home of English rugby, a short distance away.
• The Thames, Bushy Park & Richmond Park — riverside walks and vast green space all close by.
• Hotels — Twickenham, Teddington and Richmond offer accommodation for visiting families, with central London a half-hour train away.

08 / FAQFrequently asked questions