The Heritage Trail is a tour of those features that have survived. The locations of heritage interest are located in a quite compact area and will be described as we undertake a walk around the King’s Cross Railway Lands
The walk is shown on the plan above (CRHT adapted from Argent). It starts at King’s Cross Square and ends in the new concourse at King’s Cross Station.
The surviving heritage is described in the sections that follow, taking its locational cue from the movements of a visitor along the Trail.
The Trail as drawn is about 3 km (2 miles) in length. As well as the numerous stops to appreciate the heritage there are many watering holes and food halts en route.
The aerial photograph (Argent) is recent enough to show all the features on the Trail, and is oriented looking north. The features south of the Regent’s Canal are further advanced in terms of redevelopment. The main exception is the new Google Building, stretching along King’s Boulevard from Battle Bridge Place to Goods Way, still under construction in early 2021.
The photograph emphasises the juxtaposition of the two Grade I listed stations, St Pancras and King’s Cross whose transformations have so enriched our capital city.
Kings Cross Station
King’s Cross/St Pancras with its international, main line, suburban and six underground railway lines is the most connected transport hub in Europe. Our starting point
Great Northern Hotel
Moving west towards Pancras Road, we follow the convex curve of the Great Northern Hotel which faces St Pancras Station. Its concave front faces the
King’s Boulevard
We cross Battle Bridge Place, observing the new concourse on our right and the German Gymnasium on our left, both of which we will return
Coal Office
We cross Goods Way and then the Regent’s Canal via King’s Bridge. We are now in the original goods yard on the north bank of
Coal Drops Yard
We descend the stairs into Coal Drops Yard, which opened in October 2018. John Weale (1851), describing the Eastern Coal Drops, provided a clear journalist’s
Gasholder Park
Ascending once more to Bagley’s Walk, we walk along the canal, passing Somers Town Bridge, a pedestrian footbridge completed in summer 2017 that crosses the
Granary, Transit Sheds and Train Assembly Shed
From Gasholder Park we take a dogleg around the back of the Siamese Triplet and through the new buildings on Wollstonecraft Street and Handyside Street,
Handyside Canopies & Midland Shed
Emerging from the Granary atrium we enter another covered space used for markets, exhibitions and other events: the West Handyside Canopy (CRHT). The canopy spans
Granary Square
We leave the supermarket by its main entrance facing the canal. Turning right we take the path along the front of the Midland Goods Shed
German Gymnasium
Die Turnhalle, as it was first known, was designed by Edward Gruning and built for the German Gymnastic Society in Old St Pancras Road (now
Inside King’s Cross Station
From the German Gymnasium it is but a few strides across Battle Bridge Place to enter King’s Cross station via the new concourse. The roof