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City & Village Tours: 0845 812 5000 info@cityandvillagetours.com
Further north, next to the showcase that is the
fully restored St Pancras, King’s Cross is quickly
becoming the latest rediscovered gem, with new a
state of the art roof, a brand new public square at its
entrance and complete redevelopment of old derelict
railway facilities at its rear. We will hear more about
Euston as the final plans for HS2 are agreed.
With these refurbishments, our great stations have
become places to use even when we are not
travelling. We can shop, enjoy the views and discover
a wide variety of decent food and drink while sitting
in clean, brightly lit environments. Who would have
considered a meal or a drink in any of these places
twenty years ago?
Most of my working life has been involved with
travel and the logistics involved with the movement
of people. So my first interest in railway terminals
was watching and understanding the planning
involved in the arrival and dispatch of trains, often,
in the peak hours, at only two-minute intervals.
Having always had a great interest in industrial
history, my attentions soon turned to the stations
themselves, why they were built in a variety of shapes
and styles and sizes? For the record, it was often land
ownership, financial restraints (nothing new there
then!) and engineering problems that had to be
overcome. In the current era I am fascinated with the
planning, the sheer vastness of the projects and
celebrate the fact that, in these projects, we have
proof that Britain, is still a major force in the world
of grand projects.
It is sometimes said that one of the ways to judge a
society is the importance placed on its public
transport policies. After several decades of
uncertainty and neglect, London’s railways and its
terminals have been placed at the centre of our great
city’s expansion and development plans.
The Changing Trains Guided Tour
Join Doug for a day in London tracing the cycles of
the development and regeneration of the capital’s
railway network. This is a day aimed at special
interest groups including U3A study groups and all
groups with an interest in industrial archaeology and
or transport. The day can be tackled with a hired
coach or by public transport, especially if you and
your members benefit from the London Oyster
Freedom Card - the tour can be tailored to start at
your London arrival station.
The tour will include King’s Cross and St Pancras,
a short train ride on the new Thameslink from Kings
Cross to London Bridge via Blackfriars, a look at the
Thameslink developments at Borough near London
Bridge where, just like in the Victorian era when the
railways first arrived in London, a new bridge
carrying railway lines almost scrapes the roofs of the
buildings (above) and Liverpool Street where the
trend for developing railways goods yards began in
the 1980s and now some of that early development
is being cleared for a new generation of development.
For more info please call us on 0208 692 1133