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POCKET LONDON - Visit www.TourBlaze.mobi for mobile phone version |
ST PANCRAS
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St Pancras International |
One of the greatest Victorian buildings in London |
St Pancras International handles the high speed Eurostar rail services to mainland Europe, such as Paris, with a journey time of only 2 and a quarter hours. The station was reopened in November 2007, following a £800-Million renovation and expansion. St Pancras remains one of the greatest Victorian buildings in London, with impressive Victorian Gothic architecture. It has been voted one of London’s favourite landmarks and has a colourful history. |
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St Pancras station was designed by William Barlow in 1863 for Midland Railway. Barlow gave his name to the famous Barlow train shed, which became the largest enclosed space in the world when completed in 1866, with an arch spanning 240- feet (73-metres) and over 100-feet (30-metres) high at its apex. One of the most recognisable features of St Pancras station is the red brick Gothic front façade, which was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott, after his design won a competition. It was the most expensive, but the sheer grandeur of Scott's frontage impressed the Midland Railway directors, achieving their objective of outclassing all the other London stations. |
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The Barlow Shed around 1870 |
Did you know? |
An important London Landmark needs a unique London feature, and on the upper level where Eurostar departs sits just that - Europe's longest champagne bar. At around 300-feet (90-metres) no other bar in the world comes close. |
St Pancras performed an important role during both world wars, acting as a meeting place for troops, a departure point for soldiers off to war, and its trains helped transport children out of London to the safety of the countryside. During WWII the station was hit during the Blitz on London. Despite the damage and devastation caused by the war, London Midland and Scottish Railway engineers soon had the platforms working again. |
Notable features that you can see at the station include the famous St Pancras clock, reconstructed by the original makers Dent, and hanging high at the apex of the Barlow Arch. A statue of Sir John Betjeman stands at platform level to celebrate the man who was responsible for saving the station from demolition in the 1960s. And at the south end of the upper level of the station, a 30-foot (9 metre) high, 20-tonne bronze statue named The Meeting Place is intended to evoke the romance of travel. |
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The Meeting Place |
The station is open daily |
 Kings Cross St Pancras |
