King’s Cross: A Great Arts Centre, and a Homage to Fanvaulting

King’s Cross railway station in London used to have a pretty poor reputation. The area was a byword for prostitution and drug dealing. Much clearing up, local campaigning has led to the attractive and successful arts and education hub, Kings Place. I’ll pay tribute here to an ex-colleague, poet and photographer, Angel Inglis, who was one of the earliest camaigners to keep what was best and create an arts centre that would rival any in London.
The railway station also looks pretty wonderful these days. The concourse has been revamped and the station can now hold its head up high alongside its swanky neighbour St Pancras International. The new roof looks rather like the one by Norman Foster at the British Museum, and maybe both are a homage to fanvaulting, a style of architectural detail peculiar to England. One of the best examples is in the Henry VII chapel in Westminster Abbey. You are not allowed to take photographs inside the abbey, so this image is courtesy of http://www.studyblue.com.

Here are some photos I took at King’s Cross last week.

My train was leaving from a less sexy part of the station, but the roof is also wonderful.
I also like the way the new roof features in this butterfly promoting the delights to be found on Eastern Railways.