LT Northern Line Platforms At King's Cross

[Brian Kirby]

Hi Everyone,

As many will know, this section of line started life as an extension of the City & South London Rly, from The Angel to Euston in 1907, the GNP&BR (Piccadilly Line) pre-dates the C&SL at King's Cross by six months. Most C&SL stations were built as narrow island platforms, like at Euston, and at The Angel, and as can still be seen at Clapham Common and Clapham North. The C&SL tunnels were enlarged between 1922 and 1924, but most of the island platforms survived, at least for the time being. The former island platform at Euston is still in use, for southbound Bank trains, with the northbound track filled-in, to create an extra wide platform.

My main question is, what was the original platform arrangement at King's Cross, is the current arrangement the original, or more likely the result of the 1920s rebuild? Why would the original King's Cross station layout need to differ from that seen either side at Euston and at The Angel? Prior to the formation of "Underground Group" a few years later, the lines had their own separate entrances and lifts, the common escalators might date from the 1920s, thanks to UG co-operation and through ticketting?

Cheers, Brian.

[robertcwp]

The only C&SLR stations built with island platforms in a single tunnel were the original Stockwell (since resited), Clapham North  and Clapham Common (both still with islands), Angel and Euston (both since rebuilt). The original northern terminus at King William Street had a single station tunnel, originally with one track with a platform either side. This was converted to an island with track either side in 1895 but lasted only until 1900, when the original line north of Borough, which avoided London Bridge station, was abandoned, with the line diverted further east onto its current route via London Bridge and Bank. London Bridge originally had the platforms at the same level in separate tunnels with cross-passages. When the Jubilee Line was built, the Northern Line was diverted into a new tunnel in the southbound direction, with the old platform becoming a concourse. A similar exercise is currently under way at Bank.

 

All the other stations had separate platform tunnels for each line, with the platforms at Oval, Kennington and Borough being at different levels. King's Cross was unique in having the platforms far enough apart for the lifts to descend to a lower landing at platform level in a cross-passage between the platforms. There were no original surface buildings for the C&SLR station at King's Cross. The entrances were near to the Great Northern Hotel.

 

Main source for all this is the magnum opus on the Tube (i.e. the deep level lines) 'Rails Through the Clay' by Desmond Croome an Alan A Jackson.

[Brian Kirby]

Thanks for that info Robert, I visited the KX Northern Line platforms this afternoon, you can see in the cross-passages, where the direct lifts would have been. So the case is solved, the wider platform arrangement here, must be the original layout, apart from the method of access. Main access now is at the eastern end, via escalators or the steps down from the Piccadilly level, although there is also now an exit from the western end, which somehow brought me up to the earlier sub-street concourse? This subterranean complex is truly a rabbit warren. Many Thanks for the help. BK

[robertcwp]

Thanks for that info Robert, I visited the KX Northern Line platforms this afternoon, you can see in the cross-passages, where the direct lifts would have been. So the case is solved, the wider platform arrangement here, must be the original layout, apart from the method of access. Main access now is at the eastern end, via escalators or the steps down from the Piccadilly level, although there is also now an exit from the western end, which somehow brought me up to the earlier sub-street concourse? This subterranean complex is truly a rabbit warren. Many Thanks for the help. BK

I think the western end is all new. The intermediate landing has a passageway over to new Piccadilly Line escalators and, after a long walk, the Victoria Line.

[Engineer_London]

I hope the picture below is helpful - I think it came from an encyclopaedia and reflects the 1939 rebuild.  Having seen some of the old drawings of the station, I noticed that the access passage between CSLR subterranean booking hall and the front of the GNR station had to be slightly hogged to pass over the enclosed Fleet Sewer.

 

Note in the picture the 'Show House'.  I've not found references to this as yet but I was told it was put in place around the time of the 1924 Empire Exhibition [my family were local, living just up Pancras Road between the main line stations].

[Brian Kirby]

Thanks Engineer, that's brilliant. The tunnels are twice as complicated now, to think they were planning to drive the proposed Chelsea-Hackney (or even Crossrail 2) lines through that lot!

Btw, the "show-house" was a typical 1930s semi, inconguously plonked in front of the GN terminus, it was there until at least the early 1950s. BK

Edited June 5, 2018 by Brian Kirby

[Mike Storey]

I hope the picture below is helpful - I think it came from an encyclopaedia and reflects the 1939 rebuild.  Having seen some of the old drawings of the station, I noticed that the access passage between CSLR subterranean booking hall and the front of the GNR station had to be slightly hogged to pass over the enclosed Fleet Sewer.

 

Note in the picture the 'Show House'.  I've not found references to this as yet but I was told it was put in place around the time of the 1924 Empire Exhibition [my family were local, living just up Pancras Road between the main line stations].

KX 1939.jpg

 

I well remember the strange hump in the passageway, and did not why it was there at the time, but found out only when I was involved the regeneration plans.

[Mike Storey]

Thanks Engineer, that's brilliant. The tunnels are twice as complicated now, to think they were planning to drive the proposed Chelsea-Hackney (or even Crossrail 2) lines through that lot!

Btw, the "show-house" was a typical 1930s semi, inconguously plonked in front of the GN terminus, it was there until at least the early 1950s. BK

 

Actually, it is now one of the best understood parts of subterranean London (bar the route of CrossRail, which had to go much deeper in parts). Whither CrossRail 2, it would not avoid Kings Cross because of obstacles - there is a clear way through, as identified in the original Central London Rail Study proposal of the late 80's. NR continued to support a route via KGX up to the 2011 Route Utilisation Strategy publication, but then fell in with Lord Adonis' 2015 recommendation which forms the current plan - a hybrid Euston-St Pancras station. CrossRail 2 now appears to serve to relieve pressure on Waterloo and the northern ends of the Piccadilly and Victoria lines, and not much else.

[Brian Kirby]

On the surface, there's a reasonably clear route from Ally Pally, via the ex-GN "Parkland Walk" to Finsbury Park, and up the east side of the ECML to King's Cross, which could relieve the Piccadilly, Victoria and Northern Lines, at one fell swoop. Onwards to Waterloo? BK

[Mike Storey]

On the surface, there's a reasonably clear route from Ally Pally, via the ex-GN "Parkland Walk" to Finsbury Park, and up the east side of the ECML to King's Cross, which could relieve the Piccadilly, Victoria and Northern Lines, at one fell swoop. Onwards to Waterloo? BK

 

The history of CrossRail 2 is many and varied. A route via Kings Cross was safeguarded in 1991, but was not in the original London Rail Study plan from 1974. Once HS2 was going to be terminated at Euston, a different location for the Kings Cross proposal was deemed necessary, hence the current proposal, midway between Euston and St Pancras. Good enough.

 

This gives as good a summary as I have seen, of the chronological development of the scheme between 1974 (and even earlier) and now. https://www.citymetric.com/transport/mapped-crossrail-2-and-century-failing-bring-london-s-tube-network-hackney-1596

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

One of the reasons Hackney didn't get a underground, was the marshes.

 

manna