The second coming of St Pancras
The swift and sad demise of Euston and its trademark arch, as described in the last chapter, was a cataclysmic blow to London’s, and indeed Britain’s, architectural railway heritage. However, much good came out of it.
The efforts made by Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman, who is celebrated by the survival of Wadebridge station in Cornwall, now The John Betjeman Centre, led to The Victorian Society campaigning to save St Pancras, when in 1966 it too was threatened with demolition.
Betjeman had been a founder of the society in November 1957. It was formed by a group of like-minded people who wanted to reverse the then-widespread public apathy to 19th-century buildings, which many considered to be ugly.
St Pancras, which lies to the immediate west of Euston, is often termed the ‘cathedral of the railways’ as it features two of Britain’s most famous Victorian structures.
The main trainshed, completed in 1868 by the engineer William Henry Barlow with help from Rowland Mason Ordish, was the largest single-span structure of its day.
The frontage of the station, formed by what was known as the Midland Grand Hotel, is
