Huanggang Port, Image from Zaha Hadid Architects
Towering over Kings Cross and the Regents Canal like a giant metal behemoth is the grade II listed Gasholder No.8. a relic of Kings Cross’ industrial past that, like much of the area’s heritage, is being salvaged, reused and given a new lease of life as part of the Kings Cross Regeneration.
For over 140 years the Regents Canal linked King’s Cross, one of the industrial heartlands of north London, to the major industrial cities of the North. The waterways no longer form a vital industrial transport artery, but after a period of decline and dereliction, they are seeing a renaissance, as the Kings Cross Regeneration enters an exciting new stage.
King’s Cross station’s new, bright and spacious concourse reflects the renewal of the wider area, heralding a renaissance in how railway stations interact with their urban context. The Victorians excelled at creating a sense of arrival, leaving a legacy of grand stations that took pride in railway travel. After a period of decline, London’s railway stations are beginning to scrub up to smart 21st century standards.
