With the old green canopy gone, the historic frontage of King’s Cross station has been revealed for the first time in 150 years.
Lewis Cubitt’s magnificent Grade I listed Victorian station façade takes the lead in London’s newest public space – King’s Cross Square. The demolition of one of the capital’s longest surviving temporary buildings marks the start of the final phase of the biggest transformation in the station’s 160-year history.
The new square, designed by award-winning London-based architects Stanton Williams, will open in autumn 2013. Says Matt Tolan, Network Rail’s programme manager at King’s Cross, ‘We’re finally removing a building that’s almost universally unloved, restoring the station to its full architectural glory and creating a modern station fit for the future that gives passengers and the local community a huge new space to enjoy.
‘With the completion of the final phase of King’s Cross station’s redevelopment, we aim to bring a bit of the grandness and old-world charm of Europe’s city-centre railway stations right to the heart of 21st century London.’
The final phase of works follows the opening of the spectacular glass and steel western concourse in March. This provides three- times more space for passengers than the old concourse. Improved links to the London Underground and St. Pancras International will help the 45 million passengers a year at King’s Cross.
