Library construction
Architecture. It’s a love-hate thing.
Many people hate modern architecture and even today there are a few who hate Victorian architecture.
Somebody in the comments asked why, in the sixties, did they demolish so many beautiful older buildings. Well I can explain
As a small child, I was very interested in architecture and wrote about it in school projects. Following the trend, I loved modern architecture and disliked older buildings, especially the Midland Hotel in Manchester. Later, I changed my mind. So why did they hate St Pancras and why do I love the building next door? Next to Saint Pancras station is the British library built on the former railway goods yard and opened in 1997.
The Piazza has works of art, including this sculpture of Newton by Eduardo Paolozzi and just nearby, there's an artwork by Antony Gormley, entitled "Planets". It’s okay, but it doesn’t quite engage like his Angel of the North or Iron Men. The library is built in a redbrick modernist style with a tower like the Tate Modern. As we go in the low entrance, the hall is revealed. Wow, it’s huge, like a factory or power station with a very high roof. It’s like looking up into the rafters of a cathedral. And what are those books that seem to have a golden glow? They are George the Third’s collection of books, now permanently housed here. From the top of the stairs, we have a view down onto the entrance hall with its stairs, ramps, balconies, escalators, factory-style windows and red brick walls.
The library is on multiple levels and at its heart, that column of books, the central core, the tower of power, glowing orange like a nuclear reactor. Designed by architect, Sir Colin St John Wilson and M. J. Long, The British Library is award-winning and Grade 1 listed. I think it’s stunning, one of the best modern buildings I’ve ever visited. The design is complex, the scale is industrial and yet it’s bright, cheerful and welcoming, like a local library. How could anyone not like this building? Just behind the British Library is a startling architectural creation with daring curves, large expanses of glass and striking angles. It’s the Francis Crick Institute.
In front of it is a large sculpture by named Paradigm. Inside there is an impressive atrium. It’s by architects HOK with PLP Architecture and opened in 2016. Just opposite we can see a high-tech façade, this is Saint Pancras station, the modern part, at the back. Inside, it’s a busy contemporary-style station, reminiscent of Berlin’s Hauptbahnhof. A shopping centre was built in the undercroft, as at Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, which was renovated after reunification. Above us we can see the old St Pancras station, designed by William Barlow and opened in 1868. Standing looking up at that roof is Sir John Betjeman, represented in a statue by Martin.
Jennings. The celebrated poet played a key role in saving the station from demolition in the 1960s. In 1997, the renovated station opened as the terminus for Eurostar trains to and from mainland Europe as well as some domestic routes.
This part of the station is relatively
Quiet, we can imagine the hustle and bustle of yesteryear as people and horse drawn carriages went in and out of the entrance.
Outside we can admire the facade which was so hated by the decision-makers at British rail in the 1960s. They wanted this building to be torn down. Why did they hate it so much? Well, as I also thought at the time, old buildings were ugly, often decrepit, no longer fit for purpose and certainly not suitable for use as railway termini. St Pancras was a symbol of a depressing past, Euston symbolised an exciting future.
Sir Edward Playfair wrote to a newspaper, in response to a letter from a “Save St Pancras” supporter: “Can space be found for one who positively loathes the building? … St Pancras gives a lift to his spirit; mine droops at its sight and I have never passed it without hoping that it would soon be demolished.”.
I wonder what Sir Edward would have made of "The Lovers Statue" by Paul Day with its gaudy, kitschy frieze around the base. Antony Gormley didn’t like it but I love it! It's my guilty pleasure! In conclusion I think we should appreciate the best of all architecture, whether new or old and especially when we have a powerful combination of the two, as here at St Pancras. This was literally a diversion from my normal path, a little experiment, my first feature from London, a city I can’t ignore any longer, so I hope you found it of interest.