The Gothic Wonder of St. Pancras

St. Pancras Station and hotel (originally called the Midland Grand Hotel) is one of the most outstanding examples of gothic revival architecture in London. The station was originally built for the Midland Railway between 1865 and 1868 and the trainshed, at 210m long, 74m wide and 30.5m high, was the largest man-made enclosed space in the world at the time. The station and hotel together cost almost £1m - a staggering sum for the day.
 
Construction of the hotel, now a grade 1 listed building, started in 1868 and was completed in 1876 by architect George Gilbert Scott who had built the Albert Memorial between 1864 and 1876 (which helped him earn a knighthood in 1872). As well as being the most distinguished working architect of his generation, Scott was also Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy from 1866 to 1873.
 
As is customary in gothic architecture, fantasy animal motifs are frequently used in the decoration of the building. Dragons with hooked beaks, eagle’s claws and crocodile tails appear in pairs; no two pairs the same and some appear to be biting themselves. Gargoyles hang down in some places like sleeping bats. Peacocks, doves and owls adorn the entrance hall. In the old Booking Hall there are four sculptures of railwaymen mounted on pillars on the clock wall.
 
When it opened, the Midland Grand Hotel was one of the most luxurious in London and its construction required 60 million bricks and 9,000 tons of ironwork. The casual observer can easily mistake the columns for marble - actually they are polished British granite and limestone of fourteen different varieties.
 
The hotel had many ultra-modern features including revolving doors, electric bells, hot running water, and hydraulic ’ascending rooms’ (lifts). The hotel finally closed in 1935 and the building was used as railway offices from 1948, renamed St. Pancras Chambers.
 
The building was rescued from demolition in the 1960’s after a public campaign started by Sir John Betjeman. When it finally failed its fire certificate in 1985 it was closed down and was cleared out by 1988, staying empty ever since. In the early 1990’s the exterior of the building was extensively restored, cleaned and made structurally sound and weatherproof at a cost of £10 million. Though the interior is in a poor condition, much of the original decoration still survives.
 
Between 1996 and 2005 the building was used occasionally for filming and the entrance hall and coffee lounge were open to the public on weekdays. Public tours were held at weekends and parts of the building were made accessible on ’Open House weekend’ until 2004.
 
Now the building is set to re-open in 2009. Developer Manhattan Loft Corporation is currently refurbishing the building to create a 244 bedroom 5 star hotel and 68 luxury apartments.
 
The station re-opened on the 14th of November 2007 as St. Pancras International - the new terminus for High Speed 1 (Eurostar). This new high speed rail service links London to Paris in just 2 hours and 15 minutes, as well as services to Lille and Bruges. The Barlow shed has been given a new lease of life and looks spectacular after an £800 million refurbishment by London and Continental Railways, including exclusive new shops, the longest champagne bar in Europe, an 18m high bronze statue called Meeting Point, and a wonderful statue of Sir John Betjeman.

There is currently no public access to St. Pancras Chambers during the works, but historical lectures and information may be obtained from Royden Stock on 07778 932359.
 

Royden Stock, MyVillage, 11th December