A monument to the British craftsman

Fascinating informative blog and a wonderful building to look at just dont buy a glass of wine at the station if you want to avoid a shock!

A wonderful insight into the history of the building and the mindset of the men that created it. A beautifully written piece.

Brilliant narative of a industrial driven beauty, re-emerging in resplendance! Good reading Mark, thanks for the research!

Excellent article but is it celebrating the British or English working man, the two not actually being the same thing?

As a child in the 1970s, I loved travelling to London by train, arriving at St Pancras station. Even though it housed British Rail offices, it was a completely magical place - and with the narrow steps down to the underground it was a world away from how it is now. I look forward to visiting the hotel now it's been restored to glory, although I always have Douglas Adams' description from the Long Dark Teatime of the Soul in my head whenever I'm at St Pancras!

4. At 09:59am 5th May 2011, Kenneth McMurtrie wrote:
Excellent article but is it celebrating the British or English working man, the two not actually being the same thing?
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A remarkable amount of these Victorian civil engineering masterpieces were dug by Irish navies so it makes little difference. I was born and raised in Scotland to English parents and now live in England so am very aware of the difference between 'English" and 'British' but I think the Midland railway running through the very heart of England should be an 'English' achievement.

On a wider note with far less pollution in London than in late Victorian/early 20th century years the hotel probably looks better now than it ever did. A great achievment.

I remember going in as a child in the early 60s on school trips - it always seemed sad to me then that such a beautiful building should be so run down. I look forward to seeing it again!

I would go and have a read of Michael Crick's blog entry, Tuesday 3 May 2011, 'Sale of Heath home gets provisional green light', and reflect on comparisons.

Super article. I visited in 2006 before a long foreign holiday, would love to go back.
Rhod Sharp on 5live had an interview with Simon Bradbury, author of a book about the station on 04/05/11 @ 0330. Look it up on iplayer, fascinating stuff.

Can you even imagine what it would look like if they had knocked that down? Euston probably. Why did the politicians of the 1960's not advocate the destruction of the gothic Victorian surrounds of parliament so they could immerse themselves in the "white heat" of progress? Too comfy in the trappings of the old world? But concrete is good enough for the rest of us I guess... typical socialists.

I fear that everywhere beyond Watford is being lumped together as "the North". Wolverhampton's connection with London is through Euston, as it was in the days of the LNWR.

Also no mention of the brewery trade from Burton which played such an important role in the design of the whole station complex.

RAILWAY line, not the vulgar and incorrect 'train' line please, Mark.

But a good read indeed. I assume they've fixed the plumbing problems now....?

I remember in 1967 sitting on the steps of the hotel with the Third Ear Band playing as a group of us tried to levitate the hotel to the new Covent Garden site on the south bank to prevent it being demolished - ah the good old days. Glad it stayed and is renewed.

10. At 11:03am 5th May 2011, TurnipCruncher wrote:
Can you even imagine what it would look like if they had knocked that down? Euston probably. Why did the politicians of the 1960's not advocate the destruction of the gothic Victorian surrounds of parliament so they could immerse themselves in the "white heat" of progress? Too comfy in the trappings of the old world? But concrete is good enough for the rest of us I guess... typical socialists.
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To be fair parliament wasn't derelict and didn't need demolition. While most of these 1960's concrete blocks have aged very badly what they replaced (like the slums of the gorbals in Glasgow) were far, far worse. Rose tinted glasses taken off there is nothing desirable about thousands of homes per acre with no indoor bathrooms. Likewise any politician socialist or otherwise who proposes building anything as ornate as St Pancras station will be crucified for wasting precious public funds (see Scottish Parliament building for an example of how happy the tax payer is to spend £400M on architecture)

Incidentally demolition or not wasn't a Westminster matter but one for Camden council. Were the town planners in the 1960's who proposed demolition socialists? I can't even find an exact date for this proposed demolition much less work out the balance of seats in the council at the time.

Having checked, just a bit more than 14/- per night nowadays. A good news story that I'll continue to enjoy from the outside, however.

Sadly there are all too many "monuments" to British "craftsmen" in the modern building trade, blighting huge swathes of our land.

Quick, cheap (visibly so) methods of construction, phoney stone, slate, brick and tile made from dyed cement etc. and appalling planning, requiring silly densities all contribute to this.

The above materials deteriorate quickly and do not self-clean as does natural stone, say, so the already grim appearance worsens rapidly.

To be fair, I suppose not many builders these days would claim to be craftsmen, but tradesmen, so are relieved of the burden of pride that would go with that, and can concentrate on making what money they may untroubled.

I consider myself very lucky, having worked on the HS1 project from the begining. I had been around the building many times before and during restoration. I personally oversaw the production of the new lanterns in the main archway entrance, as well as the lighting for the main station and underground concourse. Not many people know this but it is the fourth most important building in London, as recognised by English Heritage, it has a grade 1 listing. Great for London to have such a gothic building, and next to it the British Library not so gothic but a great building to visit.

I agree they've done an absolutely outstanding job of reviving not just the hotel & offices but the roof too however they may as well have knocked it down for all the use it is as a railway station.

Get a domestic train using either the Midland or Thameslink routes & you won't see any of the fantastic building. Your train arrives into a flat roofed soulless box & you're forced to walk a not inconsiderable distance through the grand building. The actual trains underneath the magnificent roof are Eurostar trains that most of the country will never use. It's as big a waste as the empty building at Waterloo that Eurostar vacated.

I am so proud of my country and it's acheivements. This building is an example of corporate pride and beauty. We need more esprit de corps (in our Nation these days).

Loved the article but am wondering (penultimate paragraph) when any train to Wolverhampton ever left St Pancras.

"They built a train line north to Leeds.."
Railway line, they built a RAILWAY line - train line is a website...

Mutters under breath, exits stage left.

Great article - hankering to know how they solved the concrete / toilet conundrum.

Brilliant!
Best news I've read for a long time.
Incidentally, I agree with others about the difference between British and English.

fascinating article, and a beautiful building to be sure. let's just hope that the hotel is not out of reach (financially) to the 'ordinary' man, to whom this is supposed to be an 'extraordinary monument'.

A very impressive building as I look at it from my office window, particularly compared to the Prince Charles sponsored carbuncle that is the British library.

A few years ago a visiting South Aafrican thought it was Westminster Abbey, her jaw dropped when I told her it was a train station....

BUT... would I have rather had the money spent on having less overcrowded trains which run on time?

PS.. clay for the bricks was quarried in Loughborough, where I go dog walking! :-)

Some buildings are worth spending the money on despite the loss to other potentially more worthy causes. Given that this Station can be freely visited by Joe public at any time I think it's worth it.

Please let's not spend public money on Buildings that require us to pay to see !

Saint Pancreas would be proud.

Numerous statues that were removed from St. Pancras for the aborted refurbishment in about 1979. Might I ask whether these have been returned to their niches?

"A very impressive building as I look at it from my office window, particularly compared to the Prince Charles sponsored carbuncle that is the British library."

Clearly written by someone who's not ventured beyond the British Library courtyard. Granted, from the outside it bears an uneasy resemblance to an 80s Tesco (although it does use the same brick as its Gothic Revival neighbour), but inside it's one of the best-designed buildings of its age and, unlike Scott's original hotel, doesn't sacrifice practicality to effect.

To those pedants who wish to differentiate between the British and the English working man: one could take a look at current employment figures and conclude that any distinction between the two populations is slight at best. :-P

Wonderful read, BTW.

Been walking past this building while on my way to the HS1 service for ages. Really pleased that it is finished and what an iconic building it is! Congratulations to all those involved, and a wonderful read Mark.

Excellent article, well written. Better than yer average BBC blog ...

I would love to have seen around the more remote nooks and crannies of that building before the restoration began.

Over a few decades on the occasional bsuiness trips to London I have departed at Sp Pancras (From leicester) and have always marvelled at the magnificence of the victorian structure, both from inside and out. Tere was even a quant charm to the lofy stained walls and rooves that harked back to days of steam befor ethe renovation. This blog as given me an insight into the history of the station that has brought the story to life, thank you for a great posting, in future I will not only admire but understand.

"22. At 12:59pm 5th May 2011, Squiz of Islington wrote:
Great article - hankering to know how they solved the concrete / toilet conundrum."

With great difficulty is the answer!! I read an interesting article on this a few years ago when they completed the apartments in the building (St Pancras Chambers) One of the ingenious ways was to use the existing chimneys as risers to run services through the building. If you are interested go to www.building.co.uk and search for an article called "Sleeping beauty awakes: the St Pancras Midland Grand hotel" from 22nd May 2009. Some nice shots of the apartments as well.

#30....isn't the British Library now obsolete due to Kindle?

Thank you, Mark, that was wonderfully written.

Great article on a fantastic building. I urge anyone who gets the chance to take a look inside to do so - the restoration work undertaken on the interior is awesome, particularly the grand staircase. For those who want to read more about the whole station, I recommend The Transformation of St Pancras Station by Alastair Lansley; it's a well-written book with some great photography.

Squiz - all the services for the new apartments are in the chimneys that service each former hotel room. This does mean that it's not possible to have an open fire in the apartments, but I'll take the flushing toilet!

A very happy St Pancras resident

I believe that this hotel was used by the Spice Girls for their first video "Wannabe" - can anybody corroborate this ?

Does anybody else think this magnificant building and Barlows glorious train shed has been totally mutilated by the modern extention which looks like a massive shoe box stuck on as an afterthought ? Its not only the developers of the 1960's that had scant regard for history and context, their modern counterparts are little better...

Your best article ever.

Congratulations Mark.

It's nice to read about the achievements of our country's past without being made to feel guilty.

John Betjemen would without doubt be proud of this Railway Station for it is a shining example of what can be done if people care enough to save this for future generations and to have HS1 terminate here is is totally a bonus that makes this wonderful building advance into the 21 century with everything going for it!

I catch the Eurostar every couple of weeks or so and it is a pleasure to arrive at such a great station in the UK.

Well done to all concerned in its preservation and rebuilding

D K an Ex Londoner

Aawww...it's really lovely!!
Such a shame that the average train / rail / British / English / World traveller won't be able to afford to try the comfy beds at £300+ night...let alone afford a drink in the swish bars...
Just what we need in these austere times...

@cynicalyorkie you are not only cynical but incorrect. Prince Charles had nothing to do with the British Library at St. Pancras indeed he described it as looking like "an academy for secret police." Another missed opportunity is the new tower at the RSC Stratford upon Avon theatre. Was this supposed to be a computer generated perspective fashioned lighthouse without the sea? Oh yes there is the boats and canal. Well, it looks and is more suited for a prison watch tower without barbed wire yet includes institutional grey metal staircase & interior concrete cladding with exposed crooked nuts and bolts. Sigh. So let's hail St Pancras and pray the hotel does not overcharge for a glass of wine!

Dave Goodman, 39 - yes, you're absolutely right. You can also see it in Batman Begins.

I was fortunate enough to visit before the renovations. The lack of care afforded to this piece of our architectural heritage by British Rail was bordering on the criminal but clearly it had much still to offer and deserves a new lease of life.

Definitely one to visit this year.

just as a by the way--has anyone actually scrutinised the re-furbished gargoyles on the roof center tower section---there are modern faces that the builders added when the stone facia was refurbished in 2002 ---use a telescope

Dave Goodman--yes the Spice girls video was filmed their as was the early Batman film--they used a pully system to show Batman decending the big Gothic Stairwell

A great piece on one of my favourite buildings. Just one small factual error. Trains to Wolverhampton don't depert from St Pancras. Instead, passengers must endure those architectural gems called Euston and Birmingham New Street. In a way, it's still relevant to this article as those stations are a good indication of what we would have if Betjeman hadn't intervened.

Those of you complaining about the British Library don't sound like users to me. I agree the courtyard and approach are anonymous, but they're not offensive and I don't think they'll age badly. The great success of the BL however is not the outside but the inside. It is exciting to look at and great to work in. That'll do for me.

It's also a public building. If you want a good snooze, there's no need to spend £300 on a room in the St Pancras, get a reader's pass (free) to the BL and go to one of the reading rooms.

6. At 10:39am 5th May 2011, Peter_Sym wrote:
A remarkable amount of these Victorian civil engineering masterpieces were dug by Irish navies so it makes little difference.

Not all navvies were Irish of course, only about 1/3 of the navvies employed at the time came from Ireland - mainly in an attempt to escape the famine which was ravishing the island. Originally the navvies were the people who had dug the canal system (navigations) but during the Victorian era of railway building there was less work on canals and rather more on railways.

48. At 16:09pm 5th May 2011, Jonathan wrote:
A great piece on one of my favourite buildings. Just one small factual error. Trains to Wolverhampton don't depert from St Pancras. Instead, passengers must endure those architectural gems called Euston and Birmingham New Street. In a way, it's still relevant to this article as those stations are a good indication of what we would have if Betjeman hadn't intervened.



Agreed, thank heavens for someone with an eye for the decent. Euston is disgusting - they should pull the mess down and rebuild the original .

Fabulous renovation-well done everyone!
I'm sure in the seventies they used to roast coffee somewhere in the building.

Back in the late 80's i remeber going to meet my father as he worked in the building when the remodelling was first going on. After decades of beige and magnolia paint it was great to see the first glimpses of what it used to be. The magnificent drawing rooms covered from floor to ceiling with gold leaf and the amazing mosaic floor in the lobby under heat resistant rubber tiles.

I look forward to visiting now that all the restorations are complete and hope to relive a little of my childhood.

What an uplifting article, I’ve just visited the web site & it certainly looks a wonderful building.

I’m not so sure about Mark’s claims of a Golden age for luxury Hotels though; sounds a little optimistic given the current economic situation & future concerns.
I travel a lot on business & the real drive these days is value for money rather than luxury & every penny counts.

The St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel is strategically placed though & I’m optimistic that the investment in this grand building will indeed pay off in time.

I was at the Royal Vet. College (just up the road) in the 1970's, and of course never realised how right Betjemen was. Now I think everybody ought to spend at least one night there. I certainly will!

Great article. Why does someone always have to bring up the Irish?

About time somebody spoke up for the East Midlands! We lost alll the jobs in the 80s and 90s when the pits closed and have had a bad time . But Nottinghamshire is a great place to live -do please come and visit us!

@verymuchso. Yes, have used the British Library hundreds of times and fyi it is supposed to be a place to stimulate one's consciousness not go to sleep! As a wake up call may I kindly draw your attention to the subject of Mark Easton's admirable article: "A Monument to British Craftsmen!" An outstanding explanation of a history when architects creatively designed and engineered craft into every aspect of a building interiors and magnificent exteriors!

Quote:

'Construction required the demolition of many houses; the working-class inhabitants expelled without compensation and forced to settle in nearby slums'.

It's a pity Scott's vision didn't including provision for these poor people.

10. At 11:03am 5th May 2011, TurnipCruncher wrote:
"Can you even imagine what it would look like if they had knocked that down? Euston probably. Why did the politicians of the 1960's not advocate the destruction of the gothic Victorian surrounds of parliament so they could immerse themselves in the "white heat" of progress? Too comfy in the trappings of the old world? But concrete is good enough for the rest of us I guess... typical socialists."

The gothic Midland`s Hotel was declined by the foreign office before its original conversion to a hotel.I agree with them,I think it`s an architectural monstrosity which no amount of Betjemenasque nostalgia can commend.

However,there it is, and as a point of fact, Camden council were the lead partners in its current ressurrection.I believe they were Labour at the time.

I've marvelled at St Pancras station and the hotel from the first time I passed through the station. In 2009 I had a day out in London, just to see how the new station alterations had been done and was hugely impressed. Now that the hotel has been completed I'll have to pop back for a reunion, it might be more expensive than last time as I now live in Sydney.

At 13:05pm 5th May 2011, cynicalyorkie2 wrote:
A very impressive building as I look at it from my office window, particularly compared to the Prince Charles sponsored carbuncle that is the British library.

A few years ago a visiting South Aafrican thought it was Westminster Abbey, her jaw dropped when I told her it was a train station....

BUT... would I have rather had the money spent on having less overcrowded trains which run on time?

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You are wrong on two counts which is a lot for so few sentences. First Prince Charles criticized the exterior of the British Library and so it is in no way sponsored by him.
Second this restoration was paid for primarily with private money and therefore has nothing to do with government investment in trains.

Most of the money came from this American Harry Handlesman who clearly cares a lot more for our heritage than our billionaires like Philip Green. All they care about is avoiding tax. I for one thank him for helping preserve such an extraordinary building.

Excellent article! It brought back many memories of when I worked there in the 1970s. I think I might just have to go and see the old place again.

NB: Although the building was owned by British Rail it was, in fact, the headquarters of British Transport Hotels.

@worzel777 ( comment 59) yes I must agree "it is a pity Scott's vision didn't including provision for these poor people." The iinvisible foundations of suffering.

The responsibility rests firmly on the architect. These days human values are more respected with community planning even though forced evictions are on the rise in urban planning globally as slums and poverty increase.

https://www.cohre.org/topics/forced-evictions
https://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?typeid=19&catid=24&cid=3480

Seemingly a Victorian country parson travelled to London by train. Wandering the City streets he came upon St. Pancras and assumed from its magnificent construction that it was a Cathedral. Entering he found a uniformed official who he took to be a churchwarden, and asked him what time the next Service was........ and received the next train departure time by reply.

What an inspirational man ,who managed to get all people to fund his dreams and to motivate others to succeed in doing good for the benefit of all.