KINGS CROSS STATION

         

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

     I have very good company for today’s adventure – Annette & Steve (both ex BBC & Reuters) – on what turns out to be a last hurrah for dining out in London.

     King’s Cross or Kings Cross? Most London transport signage favours the apostrophe. But lots of maps omit it.  There’s no definitive answer.

     According to folklore, King's Cross is the site of Iceni warrior queen Boudica's final battle against the Romans in AD 61.  She may be buried under platforms 9 and 10. 

    To disappoint Harry Potter fans (isn’t that everyone?), Platform 9¾ doesn’t actually exist. There’s no platform between 9 and 10 which are not even on the main concourse. JK Rowling says she got confused between Kings Cross and Euston when she wrote the books. Platforms 4 & 5 were actually used for filming. 

    Anyhow, they’ve set up a useful photo op for fans next to the Harry Potter store at Kings Cross, presumably after buying their Gryffindor scarves and stuffed Hedwigs.

                        

    The Kings Cross station exteriors in the Harry Potter films are, in fact, of the considerably more impressive St Pancras International station. It's next door …

        

    Private apartments are also available, not cheap I would guess. The doorman tells me one of the residents owns this McLaren. But who? A drug dealer (Johnson and Johnson exec) maybe? According to the DVLA website it should be white. At least the road tax is paid. The £150,000 car has seemingly hardly moved for three years and has become a tourist attraction. It is owned by a guest of the hotel at the start of the pandemic who moved there permanently because he was having trouble getting back to his own country. 

Feb 26, 2024: It's still there - got a mention on Boom Radio today.

Sept 29, 2024: Still there.

Although most of it was revamped, including a whole new wing, the main public rooms of the Midland Grand were restored, as was Scott’s magnificent Grand Staircase. The Midland Grand also had the first the first ladies smoking room in Europe and (in 1899) the first revolving door in Britain.

             

     The video for the Spice Girls Wannabe, their first hit, was shot at The Midland in April 1996 as one single steadycam sequence. It was a very cold night. This had a pronounced effect on Mel B’s nipples resulting in the video being banned in Asia.

     The GPR clock was restored when St Pancras was renovated in the early 2000s. But just before it was due to be hoisted into position the story of farmer Hoggard came to light. They then took another template from the farm for clockmakers Dent with Smith to make this second replica, this time using the same materials as the original.

     John Betjeman once said St Pancras was “too beautiful and too romantic to survive in a world of tower blocks and concrete.” So it's nice to honour him with a statue.

    Under normal circumstances, which would have made a better story, we could have hopped on the Eurostar at St Pancras and had lunch in Paris or Brussels. Instead we had coffee at the Betjeman Arms, watching the trains not moving at all. Before the pandemic there were around 40 cross-channel Eurostar departures a day. Currently there are just eight* to Paris (4), Brussels (3) and Amsterdam (1). *And none by Dec 21.

     In 2008 Day's planned addition of the bronze relief frieze around the plinth was to have included a commuter falling into the path of an Underground train driven by the Grim Reaper. Under pressure, he revised the frieze before the final version was installed.

    Kings Cross station was restored in 2014. Before then the surrounding area was a notorious red light district. But it’s all been regenerated and there’s a large new development behind the two stations with offices, shops, restaurants and apartments ….. 

        A little further along, beside the Regent’s Canal, new apartment blocks have been built within the frameworks of three old gasholders, with a fourth providing the perimeter for Gasholder Park.

   

        But enough of this, what we were really in Kings Cross for was lunch in The German Gymnasium (no sweat) recommended by Annette … and it didn’t disappoint.

    Apart from mulled wine and a hot dog at the Christmas markets, al fresco eating is alien to these shores in winter. But we made the decision to go for the (legal) ventilated option and dined on the terrace, complete with patio heaters. Blankets were also provided but not required on a balmy 11C winter’s day. I could get used to this. And it was especially special knowing I’ll be eating at home for the foreseeable future.

    The three of us all had the schnitzel as a main with Steve going for the full Teutonic experience – Bratwurst starter washed down with Rothaus Pilsner - before goosestepping off to either invade Poland or catch his train back to Brighton (Tier 2, lucky man).

There are plenty of other restaurants in the area including a branch of Dishoom, our favourite Indian, and Hoppers which is Sri Lankan. A good pub to meet before and after dining (or catching a train) is The Parcel Yard. It's up the stairs adjacent to platform 9. You might have to fight your way through Harry Potter fans. It opens early and does food all day. I would recommend the bar at the upper level which is usually less busy.