St Pancras Station - New & Old

The new St Pancras International Station is a destination in its own right. I always liked the old station, even as it slipped slowly into disuse. Celebrated by Betjeman, it was a Victorian icon. Then they were going to flatten it. Thank goodness it was saved. But I feared the worst from the revamp. On the cards was a monumental architectural mess, neither fish nor fowl. But it was immediately clear on my first visit to the new station, shortly after the opening, that this was an amazing transformation, a brilliant blend of old and new.

We are fortunate in Bedfordshire to have such direct access to the new St Pancras, and hence through to Europe. My latest visit today, to enjoy again the spectacle of this monument to rail travel, was only marred by a return journey in a carriage packed like sardines, despite the off peak travel.