The Portland Room Information

The Thirsty Scholar

The Thirsty Scholar, our Café/Bar located behind reception looks out over Park Crescent. It is ideal for post meeting team drinks but can also be hired exclusively for private functions and parties. The bar serves lunch from 12:00-14:00 each day which can be pre-ordered here.

Need a break from your meeting? Try one many delicious teas or grab a cappuccino. Our baristas are always sourcing new beans to try, ask them which ones are being served today.

The bar is ideal for post meeting team drinks, at great prices, why not reserve a table now? Just contact a member of staff. You can also pre-order the first round so they’re ready and waiting for you.

International Students House is a registered charity (Charity No. 313512) dedicated to supporting students from around the world by providing scholarships, fostering a sense of community, broadening horizons for British and international students, promoting different cultures and helping students to achieve academic, personal and leadership aims. The charity operates several commercial ventures, including ISH Venues and our sister organisation 229 (a live music venue), to help fund scholarships and support the charities mission. 100% of profits from ISH Venues are returned to the charity.

The charity grew out of Student Movement House, a social centre that was founded in 1917 to support refugee students from Belgian and Russia during World War I. In 1933 Mary Trevelyan (the future founder of ISH) was appointed Warden of the Student Movement House. She soon realised that many International students struggled during university holidays when they lost their accommodation and were unable to make the long and expensive trip back to their home country.

In response she launched the Goats Club which brought students together to support each other during the holidays and helped them to explore British culture. The club was also dedicated to exposing British students to the cultures of their international peers to foster a sense of global community. The Goats Club got its name from an African student who once told Mary that “without people like you we should all be lost goats.”

International Students Trust was launched in 1962 and within a year student’s from over 100 countries were members. The organisation provided subsidised accommodation for international and British students as well as numerous scholarships. The charity grew steadily to run a variety of services that all encouraged cultural exchange between students and supported International students during their time in the UK.

Today the charity, with strong links with our University partners run a variety of services for students, including; travel club trips, weekly events, cultural programmes as well as emotional and financial support programmes. In addition to undergraduate accommodation, we also have post graduate rooms and flats for mature students with families. We provide 60 scholarships each year and with the continued support of people like yourself we aim to increase to 100 scholarships.

Thank you for choosing to host your event at ISH Venues today, your support is vital to the success of our charity.