UK - the greatest station roof on earth

[John Ashworth]

Betjeman's daughter unveils St Pancras tribute

"It is, after all, the greatest station roof on earth, isn't it?"

Charlotte Higgins, arts correspondent
Tuesday November 13, 2007
The Guardian

Hand clutched to his hat, coat-tails caught by a gust of wind, John Betjeman gazes up at the magnificent arch of St Pancras station's freshly restored train shed.

Or at least does his likeness, cast in bronze by sculptor Martin Jennings and unveiled yesterday by the poet's daughter, Candida Lycett Green. From tomorrow, when Eurostar's service begins, alighting passengers will pass this image of the writer, lost in wonder at the power of William Henry Barlow's feat of engineering.

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Betjeman was one of the most energetic figures who, in the 1960s, fought the destruction of St Pancras - mercifully unthinkable today, now that public taste has softened towards George Gilbert Scott's marvellously elaborate neo-Gothic station buildings and old Midland Grand Hotel. "He didn't save it singlehandedly, but it certainly wouldn't have happened without him," said Andrew Motion, one of Betjeman's successors as poet laureate.

"Louis MacNeice once called Betjeman a triumphant misfit. But the things he was regarded as eccentric for admiring during his lifetime a re the things that we have learned to hold dear," he added. "What he did as a saviour of 19th-century architecture is extraordinary."

Jennings said of his sculpture: "All my choices were led by the station. What Betjeman is doing in the statue is what we all do - we look up, with an intake of breath. I have shown him as if he has walked in for the first time since the station was saved." Jennings worked from photographs and film footage of Betjeman, and was "nudged" in the right direction by Betjeman's family, in particular Lycett Green. She said: "He has captured his sense of wonder on first walking into a great man-made space such as a cathedral ... He always looked up at the roof - and in St Pancras more than anywhere. It is, after all, the greatest station roof on earth, isn't it?"

Around the base of the statue are carved lines from Betjeman poems, chosen by Jennings, including: "Here where the cliffs alone prevail. I stand exultant, neutral, free,/ And from the cushion of the gale. Behold a huge consoling sea."

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

I saw a documentary on SATV on the new station last week - actually very impressive indeed! What is also interesting is the social effect it has had in terms of area price, crime, businesses etc - all improved positively!

[John Ashworth]

Yes. The whole Kings Cross-St Pancras area was very run down - crime, prostitution, drugs, homeless people, etc. St Pancras itself is a magnificent edifice, truly more like a cathedral than a railway station, and all reports suggest that they've modernised it very sensitively. The old hotel which forms part of the station was completely run down and had been disused for years - that has now been refurbished. And I believe that they are going to tear down the modern stuff which was added to the front of Kings Corss Station in the 1960s, thus exposing again the original plain but imposing station frontage.

I will miss one or two of the little greasy spoon cafes which were hidden away in the squalour, though - nothing like a huge full English breakfast and a big mug of hot sweet tea when you find yourself up the Big Smoke early in the morning.

[John Ashworth]

I visited St Pancras a few days ago and I must say I was very impressed. Bits of construction are still going on, but the major stuff is finished and you can see what the whole thing looks like.

The station roof is magnificent and can be seen clearly, without obstructions. The huge girders which support the roof are very obvious, and you can read the manufacturer's name and date on them - I wish I'd noted it down - I think it was north of England and definitely 19th century. Things were built to last in those days, with over-engineering being the order of the day. Modernisation has been done very sensitively. The station generally has a feel of openness and space. The Betjeman statue is roughly life-sized and could easily be missed. The "brief encounter" statue of two people kissing (a common enough sight at railway stations) is very good, although I've heard a few people say it's too big - it is rather Stalinesque. The station clock dominates the end wall, surrounded by some rather bright and tacky modern artwork.

I was a little disappointed at the "longest champagne bar in the world". It's true that it stretches the entire platform length, but I had imagined it would be an actual bar counter the length of a Eurostar. In fact the counter is a small one in the middle and it's just tables and chairs that stretch the whole length of the platform.

This is definitely a fitting London terminus for Eurostar, and for the 'High Speed 1' project which was completed on time and within budget. A rare example of railways again being given the dignity that they deserve!

[John Ashworth]

There are some beautiful pictures here