Saturday 12th January, 9.45am
The first thing that surprised me when I took this photograph is that the station is now called "King's Cross St. Pancras" and, I assume, has been since Eurostar relocated to the rejuvenated St. Pancras a few years ago. But I'd never noticed and habitually call it just "King's Cross".
This is probably the Tube station I have visited the most as, for the last twenty years or so, all trains from my part of Norfolk have terminated at the railway station above it. It's the third busiest Tube station and serves more lines than any other, which is why for a long time I felt no love for it and needed to take a deep breath before throwing myself down those cramped stairs from the departure hall into it.
But things have changed in recent years as they've upgraded it and there are now big wide corridors to get to the trains and the whole thing feels really light and spacious, at least until you get down to the platforms. It's all very grey and concretey, much like the Jubilee line, but instead of looking dull and sad I think it looks modern and almost chic. And more importantly it just works really well (although getting back to the railway station still manages to confuse me).
I guess I like it because arriving there usually means I have something exciting to look forward to or that I'm heading home after a nice day.
Meanwhile upstairs the railway station has been upgraded too and is stunning! It was also the subject of a song by the Pet Shop Boys:
Tracey Thorn also did a version of it (she wants to make an album with them - someone make this happen then I can die a happy man!). They also used it as a location for their video of Rent, which Derek Jarman directed. (I now that has nothing to do with the Tube, but I do like a tangent!)
Wikipedia entry here.
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