The Royal College Of Science is a very old academic institution that came from the expanding Royal School Of Chemistry.

It merged with the Royal City and Guilds Institute and the Royal School Of Mines in 1907 to form The Imperial Institute.

This swallowed Charing Cross (and a load of others) medical school and Imperial College Of Science, Technology and Medicine came into being in 1988.

Imperial College is a college of the University of London, by whom the degrees are issued, but the RCS still issues honourary degrees called Associateships. One of which I am the proud owner.

Back in my first year I, with James Browning and Simon Torn, found the network of tunnels that like the whole of the South Kensington campus of IC.

Back then you could wander around, dodging the workmen and the superheated steam emerging from 100-year old pipes, and come out with nothing but a bit of asbestos in the lungs to worry about. Now you'll get expelled for doing this. Ha ha!

You can go down in Chemistry, wander under the Queen's Lawn, past the tramp, find the base of the Queen's Tower, and then emerge in Southside. Moving north you'll get to Physics and to the Royal Albert Hall, and - so I am told - you will get to the other side of Hyde Park.

Another thing you can do is find the old (really old) College phone book. It lists the direct dial numbers for Downing Street, Whitehall, etc. Find that and you've done well.

This is because IC shares (or used to when I was there) an internal phone network with Westminster.