28 March 2012

The changing face of King's Cross

It is a great shame that I spend so little time in our King's Cross office these days as that part of London is changing more than any other and I am wish that I could watch it all unfold.

Most of the history of the area is being obliterated and, to be honest, that is the best thing for a lot of it, but there are some pearls among the swine that are still there.

York Road Station sits above the Piccadilly Line but trains have not stopped there since 1932.

For some reason the station buildings have remained intact since then and there are even suggestions that it might reopen one day to serve all the development that is going on in the area.

Almost directly opposite on freshly cleared ground new buildings are stretching skyward.

I presume that these are "yuppie flats" and that the sale of these is helping to finance the open communal spaces that cluster, understandably, around the canal.

It is too early to say how popular they will be but if you want a recent view of railways, waste transfer depot and mile-on-mile of council housing then this is the place for you.

For me the success of the new King's Cross is when the old and the new collide boldly such as here where brick has grown over the years and now gains a new leases of life when the gaps have been plugged with glass.


King's Cross' story has barely begun despite the vast amount of work that has been done already. I just hope that I get the opportunity to see that story told.

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