Pancras is home to a vibrant events programme, an extensive range of both fiction and nonfiction books, youll also find a great selection of. The curious story of keystone crescent, kings cross. Escorts in king cross is a wide selection of stunningly beautiful girls. A vastly expanded, lighter, brighter hatchards branch opened its doors at kings cross st. Foyles st pancras international, st pancras international. In 1923, the railway act of 1921 led to their amalgamation to form the london and north eastern railway lner and. The current name has its origin in a monument to king george iv which stood from 1830 to 1845 at the kings crossroads where new road later euston road, grays inn. The engineer was joseph cubitt and the station was designed by his older brother, lewis cubitt. Our friendly booksellers are here to help you find your next favourite book. It is also believed to be the location of the legendary battle between queen boudicca and roman invaders. Roman remains suggest it may have been the site of a crossing of the fleet river. Lighter, brighter new hatchards opens at st pancras the bookseller. Hatchards is londons oldest bookshop, having been established in 1797 by john hatchard. Perhaps the most unusual of all londons bookshops, word on the water is housed in a 100year old dutch barge moored on regents canal in king s cross.
Kings cross is a noholds barred place, where backpackers, prostitutes, strippers, chefs, mad men, poets, beggars, booksellers, doctors, gangsters, sailors, musicians, drug traffickers, eccentrics, judges and artists live side by side. It is served by london king s cross railway station, the terminus of one of the major rail routes between london and the north the area has been regenerated since the mid1990s with the terminus of the eurostar rail service at st pancras international opening in 2007 and the rebuilding of. A pictorial history of kings cross station flashbak. Nestled in the heart of chelsea, and part of the thriving local ambience, we are a destination shop for visitors and residents alike. Kings cross in the 1980s wasnt the most salubrious location in london. Bookshop in london hatchards st pancras waterstones. The inside is cosy and with books piled high, tucked into every nook and cranny. History king s cross has a rich and varied history. Jean and i took a whistlestop tour of londons independent bookshops. Book mongers is one of the best second hand bookshops in london located south of the river. Hatchards has been a landmark on one of the finest and most famous streets in the world, piccadilly, since georgian times, occupying the current building, number 187, for. Foyles, the main new book shop in charing cross road also has an extensive selection. Housmans bookshop in kings cross, north london, specialises in. Set inside a grade 1 listed building, we aim to be the bookshop for your journey to and from king s cross.
Heres nice list of mostly independent bookshops in west london that i really really love. Part flaneur, part historian and part eyewitness, louis nowra is the best possible guide to a place both real. Housmans bookshop has been in king s cross since 1945 and is one of londons last radical bookshops. In a move to raise the rather tarnished image of the area, a statue of king george iv was erected at the battle bridge crossroads in 1830.
The story of daunt books is one many independent bookshops would like to replicate. Browse londons independent, mostloved and best bookshops for secondhand. Search for book shops and other retailers near you, and submit a. Twentyfour houses, inner and outer circles, with a formidable curve. It is history, collecting our stories to be passed on to the next generation of residents and visitors. Vivid festival will show off kings cross history and. Kings cross has become a bit trendy for coffee and stuff, she says. The shop is renowned for its close relationships with celebrated authors and writers, hatchards st. I can for sure do one on a different part of london so if that would float your boat let me know. Escorts in kings cross an exceptionally vast portfolio. Pancras is home to a vibrant events programme, an extensive range of both fiction and nonfiction books, youll also find a great selection of stationery and gifts. The first watermark bookshop in europe has opened in the new london king s cross concourse with 7,000 books available for sale across the 1,100 sq ft shop. Housmans bookshop, one of londons last radical bookshop, was established in 1945 in king s cross as a permanent space to promote peace, pacifism, and.
A brief history of kings cross the camden watch company. Bringing londons oldest bookshop to the heart of beautiful london st pancras. Hatchards bookshop bookstores at st pancras station london. Jarvis said the hatchards brand, with a history going back to 1797 and. Kings cross in the latter part of the 19th century. They are all included in a vast database that incorporates not only their topquality factual photos, but also detailed descriptions of personality traits of the aforementioned damsels.
Established in 1797 and booksellers to the royal household, hatchards is one of the oldest and most famous bookshops in europe. At housmans, in kings cross, london one of the longestrunning radical bookshops in the country, launched by a group of pacifists wiry comanager malcolm hopkins, dressed head to toe in. This past decade, a new life has been given to the king s cross area. Its focus is on classic and new fiction as well as history, politics and philosophy. Kings cross is a district in central london, england, 2. Gearys cross would have been just to the right of this picture.
Books on a broad range of subjects from fiction and poetry to philosophy, biography, science, cookery, sport, health, graphics, art, travel, london guides and childrens titles are stocked. Boudicca isnt buried beneath platform 10 at kings cross. Its location at the meeting point of road, river and rail has shaped its history. King s cross station is named in honour of george iv. Luis borges the library of babel, a short story about a library which holds all books.
See more ideas about history, rosaleen norton and australian photography. Once known as woolloomooloo hill, kings cross was home to sydneys nineteenth century elite who built grand mansions along the ridge to enjoy sea breezes, a wonderful view and access to the city. King s cross remix is back in london at the end of may, then goes to leeds and bristol. Pick up something to keep you entertained while youre whisked to paris and beyond. The familyrun foyles book shop has been in the book selling business since 1906. Now a destination in itself rather than a means of transporting goods, the next phase of the canals history is just beginning. Six more booksellers have also joined the existing team.
West named his land, measuring approximately 40 acres 16. Kings cross station, built in 18511852 for the great northern railway to serve yorkshire, the northeast of england and scotland. These villas of the rich and famous were sold, abandoned or demolished with the march of time and a number were resumed during the construction of. The film tells the true story of the lesbian and gays support the miners. The building was greatly admired but in an era famed for the opposite the station was as practical and lacking of superfluous ornament as the. Right in the middle of londons famous king s road, our gorgeous bookshop is a haven for local or visiting bibliophiles. Kings cross is both a constantly changing physical space and a state of mind with an interesting history. He suggested that the space should be a permanent space to promote ideas of peace, pacifism and progressive ideas after the second world war was over. Bookseller parttime, 3 daysweek housmans bookshop is seeking to hire a parttime bookseller for three days per week. Europeans first moved into the outskirts of the future kings cross from 1810, when thomas west was granted land to build a water mill. Andrew isles natural history bookshop australian australian natural history specialist bookshop, with new and used stock and antiquarian natural history books. Visit your local bookshop in london hatchards st pancras today for a great. These three books will introduce you to parts of the capital you may have overlooked. We are a literary oasis amongst the hustle and bustle of the station and have recently moved to a bigger and brighter location right at the heart of the shopping concourse.
The birth of king s cross as we know it today occurred between 18511852, when the great northern railway moved in and constructed their london terminal in the vicinity the stations architect was lewis cubitt. Click cc for subtitles open for the map of our walk and details of. Housmans is one of londons last radical bookshops the. From king s cross a onemile walk east along the tow path takes you to buzzing islington. Hub of the tube and over ground network, it had a restless, edgy, energy. This history is in the fabric of kings cross and is a big part of what makes it a special place. At hatchards st pancras we are proud to continue and build upon the tradition and prestigious history of our piccadilly flagship, the oldest bookshop in london. Fittingly the stock is largely 18th and 19th century english literature and history. King s cross christian bookstore featured products. In addition to serving customers and helping with a wide range of daytoday shop activities, we also invite the successful candidate to act as a coordinator for our team of volunteers. The area now known as kings cross lay approximately 2 km northwest of the roman settlement of londinium.
The line was built during the 1840s by three railway companies, the north british railway, the north eastern railway, and the great northern railway. For used books, youve already been given some good suggestions. Fitting, perhaps, that our pictorial history of the grand london terminus born. The return of radical bookshops books the guardian. Kings cross pictorial history by annemaree whitaker at. The oversized memorial to the pompous king attracted so much negativity that it was removed a few years later in 1842. Theres a bit of everything here are they cover pretty much every genre of fiction and nonfiction that you could possibly think of. Here, weve rounded up the best london bookshops, and its a real pageturner. The disappearing city is a series about the changing urban landscapes of london.
The colourful history of kings cross will be brought to life by personalities who helped define sydneys famous red light district in a series of talks for vivid. Barely 15 years after it was first suggested, what was widely regarded as londons worst architectural joke was unceremoniously torn down. This history is in the fabric of king s cross and is a big part of what makes it a special place. Whether looking for the latest bestseller that everyones talking. Originally elizabeth bay, potts point, rushcutters bay and parts of darlinghurst and i was on a bus visiting kings cross for the first time when a woman pulled a knife on me. With its beautiful victorian buildings and structures being renovated and now welcoming companies, stores and restaurants, there is a for sure a bright future ahead of king s cross. Its an area that has seen massive redevelopment recently, even by londons lofty standards but do you remember what it looked like just 10 years ago. This can be seen today in the old buildings, the layout of the.