Lee Abbey London was founded in 1964 as a not-for-profit charity. It was set up to provide suitable accommodation in a friendly atmosphere for students coming to London from all over the world. More than 50 years later, this vision remains the same.
The name “Lee Abbey” comes from a large country house and estate in Devon, in the south-west of England. In this beautiful setting, a group of Christians from the Church of England (Anglicans) founded a retreat centre where people could go for spiritual and physical refreshment. This work began in 1946 and continues today.
Some people involved in establishing and leading Lee Abbey in Devon became aware of the difficulties facing international students in London. Many were forced to live in expensive and overcrowded accommodation. And so the Lee Abbey International Students’ Club was set up in London in 1964. Its mission: to care for people and show hospitality, and these founding principles make Lee Abbey London the special place it is today.
I am very grateful to you and the rest of the Lee Abbey team – you are amazing people with true Christian values, you care about physical and mental well-being of your residents as nobody else. Thank you for all your support, interesting events you organised, responsiveness and readiness to help. I felt like at home even being so far away from my family. I will always remember my time.
Andriana Kozar, Ukraine, studied at Imperial College Business School
