A look at new King’s Cross

Wednesday, March 21st 2012

After work today we caught a bus to King’s Cross to take a look at the new station that has just opened.

The pointing finger…
…shows the way

At the station, the old entrances are now exit only and there were teams of people redirecting approaching customers to the new way in. A large poster of a hand points the way.

A first glimpse
The roof dominates

As soon as you enter, you are struck by the ceiling whose pattern draws the eye. They have decided to make a feature of it by illuminating it with coloured lighting.

The roof is supported by steel trees
A main tree and peripheral ones

To keep the central area as clear as possible, the roof is supported on a system of metal trees. There is a main tree (see image on the right) and subsidiary ones around the periphery.

Departure boards…
…and the usual amenities

Around the open area there are shops and cafes and the inevitable departure boards. To watch these, there seems to be standing room only…

The outer circle
There’s an entrance the the Underground

Around the central space is a circular corridor with doors to the outside. It is quieter here (or was when we visited it) and there is an entrance to the Underground.

A retail sector
Shops, featuring the usual suspects

Here, too, there are shops, with the usual suspects (the common high street names) featuring in an environment that reminds me of the similar section in St Pancras station.

The ticket office
Bigger than the old one but is it big enough?

The new ticket office is much larger than the old one, its size emphasised by the small number of customers present. Let’s hope it still proves to be big enough when trade picks up.

A long view
The ceiling is too long to capture in its entirety

The shape and extent of the ceiling make it impossible to capture in its entirety with an ordinary lens. It would need a fish-eye or a panoramic lens. This angle catches a fair amount of it and shows the balcony or gallery that runs around the whole area providing access to pubs and eateries.

The Old Parcel Yard
Now a rather nice pub

At the end of the open area, a staircase leads up to an old administrative building where parcels were once handled. The property has been converted into a pub called The Parcel Yard. We went in to try it out and were suitably impressed. The atmosphere is relaxed and even though I ordered and paid for coffee at the bar, the barman insisted on bringing the coffee to the table.

Pub interior
An eclectic collection of furniture adds interest

The decor is a mixture of modern (exposed wiring and pipework) and faux-antique (recycled machinery, old cinema seats and dark wood). The fittings are of good quality (I am obviously talking about the loos here!) and the staff polite and friendly. The only small fault was that they do not provide free WiFi but, then, perhaps they don’t want people hanging about all day over half a pint of bitter..

A view from the stairs
Showing part of the gallery

The last photo I took was this view from the stairs in front of the pub. It shows part of the walkway or gallery that runs around the main part of the building.

It remains to be seen how people will take to the new building and how well it will function under the pressure of daily routine. So far, the signs are good.

The lattice-work ceiling

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