LONDON WALK NO 85 GROUP 3 HOUSE OF ILLUSTRATION, GRANARY SQUARE ORGANISED BY PHYLLIS KING Wednesday, 20 th January 2016

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1 LONDON WALK NO 85 GROUP 3 HOUSE OF ILLUSTRATION, GRANARY SQUARE ORGANISED BY PHYLLIS KING Wednesday, 20 th January 2016 On the coldest day of the winter, 22 of us arrived at Tonbridge Station, wrapped up warm. Sadly Brian had slipped and fallen on the way down, and so he was bundled into a taxi for a quiet time at home to recover. It was great to have most of the gang together again, with Joan and I both able to rejoin the walks following a period of absence. An announcement said our train was delayed a short while probably due to the wrong kind of men on the line. It was an uneventful journey to Charing Cross, although Diane, Barbara and I were joined in conversation by a man in a most unusual woolly bobble hat who reeled off a list of places he thought we should visit like the London Eye and the Shard!!! Been there, done it replied Di and Barbara. Facing him, I struggled to hide my laughter. Across the road to St Martin-in-the-Fields for coffee and then we took the short walk to Bus Stop F opposite Charing Cross Station for the 91 bus to King s Cross. A most unhelpful bus driver ensured that we were none the wiser as to whether we could get off at Granary Square, but that we definitely should not scan our bus passes!!! Most of us piled upstairs, with a few downstairs and Phyllis watching the stop names. Alighting at King s Cross, Jan fortunately knew where we were, as Phyllis and I had not been able to go up and reckie the walk first. A short stroll alongside the canal and over the footbridge took us into Granary Square. No bouncing fountains, nor food vans as there are in summer, this area looked pretty bleak and chilly. Granary Square is part of the King s Cross Redevelopment Project which is one of the largest and most exciting redevelopments in London. The 67 acre site has a rich history and a unique setting. What was an underused industrial wasteland is being transformed into a new part of the city with homes, shops, offices, galleries, bars, restaurants, schools and even a university. It s a whole new piece of London with a brand new postcode, N1C. In Victorian times, King s Cross was an important industrial heartland. But

2 by the late 20th Century, the area known as the railway lands had become a series of disused buildings, railway sidings, warehouses and contaminated land. Early plans for redevelopment fell through, but the 1996 decision to move the Channel Tunnel Rail Link from Waterloo to St Pancras became the catalyst for change. The landowners London & Continental Railways Limited and Excel (now DHL) decided to develop the land. Project planning started in 2001, and in 2006 outline planning permission was granted. The permission allows for c.50 new buildings, 20 new streets, 10 new major public spaces, the restoration and refurbishment of 20 historic buildings and structures and up to 2,000 homes. Development started in earnest in November Much of the early investment was focused in and around the Victorian buildings that once formed the Goods Yard. A restored granary building at the heart of King s Cross is now home to the world famous arts college Central Saint Martins. Central Saint Martins is one of a number of colleges that recently came together under the banner of University of the Arts London. The college boasts glittering alumni including fashion designers Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen, singer Jarvis Cocker, painter Lucian Freud and sculptor Antony Gormley. The campus at King s Cross opened in 2011, welcoming 5,000 students and staff. Designed in 1852 by Lewis Cubitt, the architect of King s Cross station, the Granary once stored wheat for London s bakers. The building has been gloriously restored by Stanton Williams Architects and overlooks the fountains of Granary Square. Waitrose King s Cross is in the historic Midland Goods Shed and East Handyside Canopy, just off Granary Square opposite the House of Illustration. The branch is one of the largest Waitrose stores in Central London. As well as fresh food counters, the King s Cross branch is home to a juice bar where you can treat yourself to a freshly squeezed juice or smoothie, or create your own frozen yoghurt and a bakery where you can pick up a delicious selection of pastries, toasted sandwiches and hot soups to eat in or take away. Customers can also enjoy a glass of wine or locally brewed pale ale and a platter of tapas at the in-store wine bar. This is also home to a Waitrose Cookery School where lunch time and evening classes are held. Walking round the back of the Granary University Building, we took advantage of steps outside the House of Illustration for our group photo. This very small Gallery struggled to cope with 22 of us arriving at once so we were glad we had pre-booked.

3 The Gallery changes exhibits, and we were fortunate to arrive during the last week of EH Shepard s An Illustrator s War. Best known for his drawings for Winnie the Pooh and The Wind in the Willows, as well as his regular work for Punch magazine, E.H. Shepard also produced a substantial body of work while serving as an officer in the Royal Artillery in the First World War. This exhibition is the first to explore Shepard s illustrations drawn in the trenches on the Western Front and in Italy, and includes over a hundred original artworks - many never seen before. As well as recording his experiences, he continued to work as a commercial cartoonist, regularly sending work back from the trenches for Punch and other publications. We were struck by the positive attitude of Shepard in what must have been dire circumstances. He was extremely popular, and considered lucky during his service, so his fellow soldiers would gather round him to try and save themselves from being killed! Shepard s skills as a draughtsman were also put to use during his service. He made precise topographical drawings for strategic use by his battery including one that measures 1.5 metres long and depicts sites of battle in the Italian mountains. Photography was not allowed in the Gallery, so all pictures are courtesy of the House of Illustration, Shepard Trust, Curtis Brown & Punch.

4 A room at the back of the Gallery was displaying work by Lauren Childs. This exhibition shows Child s recently completed dolls house to the public for the first time, alongside original sets made for the critically acclaimed The Princess and the Pea, a book illustrated with threedimensional miniature sets. My Village, I think? by EH Shepard Ready for lunch, we paid a quick visit to the Gallery shop, and then walked back to King s Cross Station, via the Viewing Gallery. Having dutifully climbed to the top, some of us were disappointed at the view, as we thought it would be showing the new Crossrail work. We took the opportunity to see the shrine at Platform 9¾ in King s Cross Station to Alan Rickman (who died the week before). This photo shows the trolley pushed half way through the wall, but by the time we arrived, the shrine had been moved to the other side of the Harry Potter shop, and a full scale business was being run for people to have their photos taken beside the trolley how sad. Agreeing a meet-up time, we went our separate ways to have lunch some of us to the pub The Parcel Yard, others to Giraffe or Prezzo. The Parcel Yard is located in the old 10,000 square foot Great

5 Northern Railway parcel office where mail freight was once accepted and sorted. This spacious building had long been closed and prior to Fullers taking an interest it had lain empty for a couple of decades. The pub is one of the few Grade-I listed pubs in London with the George in Southwark being another. This is now the largest station pub in the UK. Both new and reclaimed wood dominate the interior including doors, panelling and floorboards. Due to its Listed status, Network Rail and many different heritage organisations needed to be consulted to ensure that original features were retained. Interestingly, many of the floorboards were taken from the old Kings Cross Station and are in their original state complete with grime marks. Details online say to take note of the poles on either side of corridors in the building as they are holding up the floors! (Glad we didn t know that beforehand!) The ground floor has a large and airy central double-height atrium which was once used as a smoking room whilst in use as the parcel office and Fullers have done an excellent job removing decades of yellow cigarette tar stains. Our waiters were very attentive, and one proceeded to take loads of photographs, on Phyllis and Jean s cameras, climbing tables and chairs. In spite of all the history, it was the loo that most impressed me, and I even went back with my camera for the obligatory photo! A genuine Thomas Crapper or not, it certainly made me smile, and it is listed in the 20 best toilets in London. Gathering together outside, we started to make our way to the bus stop, when I was called back. Julie had managed to grab a seat on the swing in the birdcage in the square it was occupied by CHILDREN when we went past initially!! Called IFO (Identified Flying Object) it is lit at night, and occasionally hoisted up into the sky.

6 Once at the bus stop, some of us decided to go straight back to Charing Cross, others to Waterloo on the No.59 bus to see the Landscape Photographer of the Year display. The bus journey was slow, and we had to wait at Charing Cross for the train boards to display our train. Isabel, Joan and I settled down for our trip home, and Isabel told me how she was soaking wet!! Apparently she had spilled a full cup of tea (or coffee?) all over herself. No wonder she wanted to get home. Ironically, when we arrived at the bus stop at Tonbridge, some of our group who had gone to Waterloo were already waiting there! So ended another great trip out. Best wishes to Brian on a speedy recovery. We hope that Ian & Mary s friend Barbara enjoyed her day with us. Let s hope next month s walk is not quite so chilly.