Inside The King's Cross Clock Tower

M@
By M@ Last edited 89 months ago
Inside The King's Cross Clock Tower

In 2013, following the renovation of King's Cross station, we were invited by Network Rail to see inside its famous clock tower.

The two towers. Legend has it that, in the days before time was standardised across Britain, the two clocks were set to different times to reflect the timetables of rival operators.
Stairs leading up to the clock. This space is reminiscent of a church belfry.
Behind the clock face.

The clock can only be described as minimalist. Rather than employing a mechanism of cogs, gears and weights, it's now controlled by a tiny electrical box that prompts the hands to move.

Close up of the clock machinery, such as it is.

The vantage point, accessed through a small door on the concourse, offers excellent views of both the vast platform roof and the square below.

A view of the notorious King's Cross road junction, and the 'lighthouse block'.
Looking down on the colourful Megaro Hotel.
Workers hoisting a flagpole on the western end of the station. The cranes of the Francis Crick Institute loom behind St Pancras.
A quick look inside the Eastern Range (the long block between York Way and Platform 0). This elegant staircase is the most striking feature.
King's Cross roof, looking north-east towards Cally Road.
Looking north along the station roof. The crappy yellow perspex has been replaced with clear glass, and photovoltaic cells, generating 10% of the station's power, line the top.
The clock-less northern face of the tower.

London Reconnections also toured the site, when the green canopy was still in place.

Last Updated 17 October 2016