Rebuilding

Intense commercial competition has sometimes given us rather wonderful things -- like the two London railway termini that sit side-by-side on the Euston Road -- St Pancras and King's Cross.

Of the two, St Pancras, the younger, is more often feted today, the wonderful trainshed roof having recently been beautifully restored:

However, on the back a, to my eyes, wildly inappropriate (and also rather impractical) extension has been added on by Norman Foster and partners, a testimony to the rubbish that that practice can produce:

Meanwhile, its older companion sits opposite, no fancy frivolities here, the Great Northern designed it as a massive engineering statement, the two train sheds being expressed on the main elevation by two massive semi-circular windows:

After years of total neglect, King's Cross is undergoing a massive refurbishment. The first part of the restored trainshed roof has now been wonderfully revealed -- King's Cross will once again be a place of enormous light:

All of the crap in front of it will be swept away and a huge new concourse is currently under construction (the semi-circular space in the plan at the top of this post). The passageway from the trainshed to the new concourse can now be tantalisingly glimpsed behind and above the hoardings:

Here's an external view -- an enormous bowl, filling the space between the old Great Northern Hotel (which is behind the "mace" sign) and the original trainshed walls to the left:

Inside, the roof of that bowl looks like it's going to be quite extraordinary:

On a very overcast day, look at the way light plays on the roof structure and washes down onto the original Victorian side walls at the back:

I think Norman Foster's extension is going to look even worse when John McAslan and Partners' King's Cross concourse is finished. I can't wait to see it.