Accommodation close to St Pancras and Kings Cross rail stations. Lots of major businesses have chosen to base themselves here including Google. Documents, ancient maps, Bibles, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and much more.

Contents.Location and name The station stands on the at the eastern end of, next to the junction with, and, in what is now the. Immediately to the west, on the other side of Pancras Road, is.

Several London bus routes, including, 390, pass in front of or to the side of the station.King's Cross is spelled both with and without an. King's Cross is used in signage at the and stations, on the and on the official Network Rail webpage. It rarely featured on early Underground maps, but has been consistently used on them since 1951. Kings X, Kings + and London KX are abbreviations used in space-limited contexts. The National Rail is KGX. History Early history The area of was previously a village known as Battle Bridge which was an ancient crossing of the, originally known as Broad Ford, later Bradford Bridge. The river flowed along what is now the west side of Pancras Road until it was rerouted underground in 1825.

The name 'Battle Bridge' is linked to tradition that this was the site of a major battle between the Romans and the tribe led. According to folklore, King's Cross is the site of Boudica's final battle and some sources say she is buried under one of the platforms.

Platforms 9 and 10 have been suggested as possible sites. Boudica's ghost is also reported to haunt passages under the station, around platforms 8–10. Great Northern Railway (1850–1923). King's Cross in 1852King's Cross station was built in 1851–52 as the London terminus of the (GNR), and was the fifth London terminal to be constructed. It replaced a temporary station next to (now ) that had been quickly constructed with the line's arrival in London in 1850, and had opened on 7 August 1850.The station took its name from the, a monument to that stood in the area and was demolished in 1845.

Construction was on the site of a hospital.Plans for the station were made in December 1848 under the direction of, resident engineer for constructing the first 20 miles (32 km) of the Great Northern Railway out of London. The station's detailed design was by, the brother of (the architect of, and ), and Sir (who was chief engineer of the built in 1851, and consulting engineer to the and Railways). The design comprised two great arched, with a brick structure at the south end designed to reflect the arches behind. Its main feature was a 112-foot (34 m) high clock tower that held treble, tenor and bass bells, the last of these weighing 1 ton 9 cwt (1.47 tonnes). In size, it was inspired by the 200 yards (180 m) long of 1825, leading to its built length of 268 yards (245 m). Plan of King's Cross in 1888.

Originally there was only one arrival and one departure platform.The station, the biggest in England, opened on 14 October 1852. Originally it had one arrival and one departure platform (today's platforms 1 and 8), and the space between was used for carriage sidings. The platforms have been reconfigured several times. They have been numbered 1 to 8 since 1972. Suburban traffic quickly grew with the opening of stations at in 1850, in 1856, in 1859 and Seven Sisters Road (now ) in 1861. Services to via and began running from King's Cross on 1 February 1858.

More platforms were added in 1862; No. 2 was full-length but No. 3 was stepped into the northern end of the station. In 1866, a connection was made via the to the at, with goods and passenger services to South London via. A separate suburban station to the west of the main building, housing platforms 9–11 as of 1972 and known initially as 'Kings Cross Main Line (Local) Station', opened in August 1875. It was followed by a connection to the on 1 February 1878.

Two platforms (now 5 and 6) were opened on 18 December 1893 to cater for increased traffic demands. An iron footbridge was built halfway down the train shed to connect all the platforms. By 1880, half the traffic at King's Cross was suburban.A significant bottleneck in the early years of operations was at Gas Works tunnel underneath the immediately to the north of the station, which was built with a single up and a single down track. Commercial traffic was further impeded by having to cross over on-level running lines to reach the goods yard.

Grade separation of goods traffic was achieved by constructing the skew bridge that opened in August 1877, and the second and third Gas Works tunnels opened in 1878 and 1892 respectively.On 15 September 1881, a light engine and a coal train collided near the mouth of the north of the station because of a signalman's error. One person was killed and another was severely injured.

Bad weather contributed to occasional flooding in the tunnels. One such incident in July 1901 suspended all traffic from the station for more than four hours, which happened at no other London terminus.King's Cross sustained no damage during even though large amounts of high explosives were carried to the station in passenger trains during the war. When possible, trains were parked in tunnels in the event of enemy aircraft overhead. London and North Eastern Railway (1923–1948).

Steam trains at King's Cross in 1928Kings Cross came into the ownership of the (LNER) following the. The LNER made improvements to various amenities, including toilets and dressing rooms underneath what is now platform 8. The lines through the Gas Works tunnels were remodelled between 1922 and 1924 and improved signalling made it easier to manage the increasing number of local trains.A number of famous trains have been associated with King's Cross, such as the service to Edinburgh. The and later streamlined steam locomotives handled express services from the 1930s until 1966. The most famous of these was, which holds the world speed record for steam locomotives at 126 miles per hour (203 km/h), set in 1938.King's Cross handled large numbers of troops alongside civilian traffic during.

Engine shortages meant that up to 2,000 people had to be accommodated on each train. In the early hours of Sunday 11 May 1941, two 1,000 pounds (450 kg) bombs fell on the west side of the station, destroying the general offices, booking hall and a bar, and blowing out a large section of roof. Twelve people were killed; the death total would have been higher if the blast had occurred during a busy period.On 4 February 1945, a passenger train to Leeds and Bradford stalled in Gasworks Tunnel, ran back and was. Two people were killed and 25 were injured. Services were not fully restored until 23 February. British Rail (1948–1996). The former concourse seen in 2008Before privatisation, the King's Cross area had a reputation for run-down buildings and prostitution in front of the main entrance.

There was a major clean-up during the 1990s and the station's atmosphere was much improved by the end of the decade.Following the in 1996, express services into the station were taken over by the (GNER). The company refurbished the 'Mallard' rolling stock used for long-distance services from King's Cross and the inauguration of the new-look trains took place in the presence of and in 2003.GNER successfully re-bid for the franchise in 2005 but surrendered it the following year. Took over the franchise in late 2007 after an interim period when trains ran under a management contract.

In 2009, it was announced that National Express was no longer willing to finance the East Coast subsidiary, and the franchise was taken back into public ownership and handed over to in November. In March 2015 the franchise was re-privatised and taken over. In November 2017, Transport Secretary announced the early termination of the East Coast franchise in 2020, three years ahead of schedule, following losses on the route by the operator. The current provider of ECML services is. Restoration.

King's Cross following refurbishment in 2012. The steel structure of the roof, engineered by, has been described as being 'like some kind of reverse waterfall, a white steel grid that swoops up from the ground and cascades over your head'.The £500 million restoration plan announced by in 2005 was approved by in 2007. It involved restoring and reglazing the original arched train shed roof and removing the 1972 extension at the front of the station and replacing it with an open-air plaza.The new semi-circular departures concourse opened to the public in March 2012. Situated to the west of the station behind the Great Northern Hotel, it was designed by and built.

It caters for much-increased passenger flows and provides greater integration between the intercity, suburban and underground sections of the station. The architect claimed that the roof is the longest single-span station structure in Europe and the semi-circular structure has a radius of 59 yards (54 m) and more than 2,000 triangular roof panels, half of which are glass.

The new concourse seen from above. Is to the right.Land between and behind Kings Cross and St Pancras stations is being redeveloped as with around 2,000 new homes, 5,000,000 sq ft (464,500 m 2) of offices and new roads. In the restoration, refurbished offices have opened on the east side of the station to replace ones lost on the west side, and a new platform, numbered 0, opened underneath them on 20 May 2010. Diesel trains cannot normally use this platform for environmental reasons. The restoration project was awarded a in 2013.In May 2016, the approved a new operator, to operate services to via,.

The service is expected to start in 2021. Future Remodelling In January 2018, it was announced that half the station would close for 3 months from January to March 2020 for remodelling work to the station and its approach, expected to cost £237 million. This includes rationalisation of the tracks, reopening the third tunnel to the approach of the station and closure of platform 10. Accidents and incidents. Main article:There have been many accidents at King's Cross over the years.

The most serious were the on 4 February 1945 which killed two people and injured 25. And a collision in Gasworks tunnel on 15 September 1881 which killed one person and seriously injured another. The most recent was on 17 September 2015 when a passenger train collided with the, injuring fourteen people.On 5 November 1979, was seen saying goodbye to his friends at King's Cross. He set off in the direction of the Piccadilly line platform, but he was never seen again. The station is also where was last seen before going missing on 14 September 2007.

He had caught a train there from under controversial and unexplained circumstances. Other stations King's Cross York Road. At Kings Cross, York Road station on the last day of diesel services to MoorgateFrom 1863, part of King's Cross was an intermediate station.

On the extreme east of the site, King's Cross York Road station was served by suburban trains from before they followed the sharply curved and steeply graded York Road Tunnel to join the to,. In the other direction, trains from Moorgate came off the Widened Lines via the Hotel Curve, to platform 16 (latterly renumbered 14) which rose to the main line level. Services to and from Moorgate were diverted via the from November 1976. The station remained in occasional use until it was completely closed on 5 March 1977. Great Northern Cemetery Station The Great Northern Cemetery Station was built 50 metres (160 ft) to the east of the main station complex to transport coffins and mourners from the city to the burial grounds at. The station opened in 1861 but was never profitable and closed in 1873.

Services. The station hosts services on inter-city routes to the, Yorkshire, and eastern and northern Scotland, connecting to major cities and towns such as Cambridge, Peterborough, Hull, Doncaster, Leeds, Bradford, York, Sunderland, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness.

Since June 2018, these major routes have been under government control, taking over from Stagecoach and Virgin. Train services Four train operating companies run services from King's Cross:London North Eastern Railway operates high speed inter-city services along the East Coast Main Line. Thameslink and Great Northern operates outer-suburban services to North London, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and West Norfolk. Hull Trains operates daily inter-city services to Hull and a limited weekday service to Beverley via the East Coast Main Line. Unlike other train companies in, Hull Trains operates under an arrangement and is not a franchised.

Grand Central operates inter-city services to and along the East Coast Main Line and is an open-access operator. On 23 May 2010 it began services to via, and which had originally been due to begin in December 2009. Routes Preceding stationFollowing stationTerminusorTerminusorTerminusTheTerminusorTerminusororTerminusorTerminusOne train a dayTerminusLondon-SunderlandLondon-Bradford InterchangeTerminusTerminusTerminusororTerminusSuburban services(Peak times only)TerminusLondon-Cambridge (Semi-fast)Future ServicesTerminusLondon – EdinburghDisused railwaysvia King's Cross York RoadTerminusLine open, station closedTube station. Entrance to the tube station from the main concourseKing's Cross St. Pancras tube station is served by more lines than any other station on the London Underground. In 2005, it was the busiest tube station, but has been overtaken by others since.

It is in Travelcard Zone 1 and caters for both Kings Cross and the neighbouring.The station opened as part of the first section of project on 10 January 1863; the first part of the Underground to open. It was expanded to accommodate the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (now the ) in 1906, with the City & South London Railway (now the ) opening a year later.The platforms were opened in 1968.

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