King's Cross Goods Depot: Coal, Quail and Mutoids
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- čas přidán 5. 08. 2024
- Where else in London could you find sailors, ravers and fish? The long history of King's Cross Goods Depot.
Coal Drops Yard: www.coaldropsyard.com
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I like the fact that the area has been redevelopeded in a way that serves a use yet preserves the history of the site. And done so well to boot.
The National Trust or English Heritage (charity) would have seen those buildings protected from demolition.
@@Rose.Of.Hizaki what would happen if developers do not preserve protected buildings?
@@bigbenigs that would never happen. To have any work done on that kind of scale requires lots and lots of planning permission and other hoops to jump through as there are a lot of local businesses and possible residential areas that would need to be dealt with before even the first brick or plank of wood is bought.
@@Rose.Of.Hizaki That being said, a listed building may be demolished if it becomes a safety hazard. Because of the expense of restoring derelict buildings with listed status, there are supposedly some unfortunate incidents where bulldozers accidentally ran into corners of buildings so that they became unsafe. Not to mention a few fires.
@@iankemp1131 That maybe the case. However you would still need to apply for planning permission to demolish it. so you still need to jump through the same hoops before any work can start.
listed building usually have extended maintenance to deal with any serious safety hazards to stop them just suddenly collapsing in on themselves out of the blue so they arent exactly being left to rot.
"...unless the fish got rowdy..." No point carping on about it.
Give 'em a fair herring.
@@nicomonkeyboy No codding!
this is neither the time nor the plaice for comments like that
@@MercenaryPen OK, haddock enough of the fish jokes!
It’s almost as if they are doing it on porpoise!!
The offices where that drive slowly sign is was known as the police offices when I was there in the 80s, 90s, 2000s, they were derelict and the Cross nightclub moved into the arches below which had been used for storage up till then, The granary was used as storage for all kinds of goods, but again had been mostly empty for years, one area on the first floor was a large open plan office for clerks to record the goods coming into and leaving the warehouse, I was lucky to see the place before it got cleared out and some of the ledgers were still there on the desk at the head of the office, a bit pigeon pooed but inside the listings were in perfect condition, if you got onto the roof of the granary there were short lengths of bright orange plastic chain to twirl above your head as this was a nesting area for Herring Gulls, if you didn't twirl a chain you would probably get attacked and end up with a nasty head wound, apparently the gulls had followed the barges from the docks and finding plenty of food at the warehouse they had made it a permanent home. there were also a couple of Peregrine Falcons that nested high on the front of the Granary building and sometimes as you walked across the yard the sky would explode with feathers as another pigeon became dinner for them. The yard during the week was a bustling hive of activity, from the outside some thought it was just an empty wasteland where druggies and prostitutes hung out, but in reality, it was full of mostly small but some quite large independent businesses, at the weekend, when it was mostly quiet, you could sit in parts of the yard and it seemed as if you were miles away from civilization, the sky was massive as there were no high rise buildings nearby, eventually, the evening would come, and the crowds would start drifting in for the night at Bagleys, then in the morning after the last clubber had gone home the tranquility returned for a while at least.
Hello Ira, our business had a large carpet and underlay warehouse in Barpart House. We also used Berlin Bank and The Granary at some point. I used to love coming to visit from Burnley and meeting the staff and customers, it was a fascinating place back then and an amazing transformation has taken place. I can remember the Drive Slowly sign, did you ever see our large yellow trailers? A chap called "Hamilton" was the landlord's site manager, if I remember correctly.
That building was still used by BTP (British Transport P...olice) in the 70s.
@@RmRat1302 I used to see your trailers sitting up on the Berlin Bank all the time, went past your place a couple of times but never got to look inside, the yard manager I remember was a man named John,short guy with a reputation for not suffering fools.
What a wonderful description. Thank you for that.
gorgeous description I felt like I was there
In the 90s i used to go to a huge Aussie drinking den called the Church(open on Sunday mornings) precisely there,it was fantastic,beer,comedians and stripteases,the perfect combination for this punter
Woke up by that canal path a couple of times,happy days
Do you remember The backpacker in York way?
@@richardpotter712 true,that was where we all went when we were herded out of Church,i guess its now some poncey gastropub
@@richardpotter712 Backpackers used to do a drink called “Green Death” that was a blend of cider and lager, and a shot of Blue Curacao.
@@keithwhittygmail look pal,i didnt mention prostitutes,they were professional strippers,male and female that im sure were paid handsomely,and by the end of the show girls would jump onto the stage and flash their boobs(for free)
Ask anyone that went there
@@keithwhittygmail Not disagreeing with the main point, but have you got a source for that statistic?
The Coal yard was also the starting location tion for a transatlantic air race. A Harrier jump jet landed in and took off from the yard in 1969. The yard was renamed RAF St Pancras for the occasion.
I was wondering if it was the sane yard.
The record breaking aircraft, Hawker Harrier XV741 can be seen neatly restored in Brooklands Museum.
I travelled to London to see it. All I remember was that a lot of cinders and ballast took flight that day. I think the race started from the top of the Post Office Tower, not sure where the end was (the top of the CN tower ?).
@@andyknott8148 amazing. I bet that was an incredible sight in an empty patch of busy London.
@@underwaterdick It was. Sadly most of us turned away for fear of getting your eyes full of dust.
@@andyknott8148 I don't blame you, having seen the footage of the Wessex landing and Harrier leaving, I think preserving your eyes was pretty important.
Still one great occasion to have experienced, I bet, even with the coal dust!
Bet there was plenty of noise too.
Jago, if you watch the CLASSIC 1956 Ealing Comedy The Lady Killers you will see views of Camlet Street and the surrounding Kings Cross area
@@DavidWilson-hh2gn of course the house was a mock up.
The scene from the front door is from Argyle Street which runs up to Euston Road as you can see St Pancras station
Worth noting that "made with the kind cooperation of coal drops yard" is neccesary because that "public" space is actually all privately owned. The owners can boot you out for any reason they like. Very little new genuinely public space gets made these days.
Thank you for pointing this out. I think it’s important to note.
Quite. Joolz Guides got told off by security for filming there without permission.
'The History Lord' channel has featured a few small parks and public gardens developed since the war on abandoned or donated land in central London. When you consider the huge cost of inner city land, I'm astonished that there have been any new parks at all. But good on the owners of this development for providing what is effectively new public space in the area.
Having grown up in Americas Great Lakes/Rust Belt region I find places like this Coal Drop Kings Crossing very interesting. I find old industrial infrastructure to be quite fascinating. I must make it to England someday....
If you do visit try seeing some of our Northern Cities,Manchester,Leeds,Birmingham and Liverpool all have some great industrial buildings and facinating stories around them.
@@neilthehermit4655 was just about to say the same thing but you beat me to it by 41 seconds! the UK is filled with industry
Huge regeneration going on in England at the moment. There are still problems but also lots to look forward to.
As an American currently living in Northern Virginia who's been to the UK numerous times (I had a British mum), I say you should make your way there as soon as the virus regulations permit! And by all means, explore beyond London. No offence to London, but I enjoyed my times in the midlands (Coventry, Nottingham, Birmingham, etc) and 'the north" (Liverpool, Manchester, York, Newcastle, etc) immensely.
@@LarryJohnVA Whilst in London, why not visit the rest of Blighty.
Your coal from the northeast made me smile, in the late 80s early 90s I worked for British Rail based in Manchester and we took over a container train loaded with coal that came down from Newcastle....this is where the story gets odd. It was Polish coal that was shipped in ran across the UK to Ellesmere Port loaded onto a Soviet ship and taken across to the Republic of Ireland for one of their power stations! So the whole saying "carry coal to Newcastle" has its own meaning to me!
So in those bad old days of intense religious secularism, the Irish would rather pay extra to transport Polish coal which was decently Catholic (albeit with some Marx), rather than get that dodgy Protestant coal from England?
@@Dave_Sisson You maybe right, although by the late 80s I very much doubt British Coal was a cheaper option!! All that being said It seemed a very odd thing to do! but it was a regular job and it was an interesting break from the normal work we did(I think it was our only coal train)
@@mjc8281 Ah, I had forgotten about the decline of the British coal industry. High prices and constant strikes meant that it was expensive and supply was unreliable. So Polish coal may have been cheaper even with the extra transport costs and with no strikes, the supply would have been reliable.
@@djtrainspotter3079 As I recall we had a handful of jobs in the evening that took empties back with a break in Wakefield(I will always associate really good Curry Houses with Wakefield!)and then returned with heavy oil trains going to Glazebrook (although we re-crewed at Ashbury's). I don't believe we handled any of the loaded trains, I'm assuming they would have been Bank Quay crews and I started after Agecroft Colliery closed(I think while I was training they where in the process of pulling up the sidings, never remember seeing anyone in there).
@@Dave_Sisson From what I remember reading of the slight controversy in Ireland at the time, the reason for us bringing in Polish coal was only economic and nothing to do with history or religion. When British coal and other facilities were more economic, we used them for a long time
England is making a great job of preserving and developing these character filled sites
But English people can't afford to live there anymore
It's pretty soulless now, I'm afraid.
The ones that weren't already torn down, anyway.
I think the rave scene should have been more emphasized as the whole Coal Drops Yard building was Bagley's. 3000+ ravers a week would attend Friday and Saturday, it was a huge part of my life for years.
We've destroyed so much history over the years.
I love that the "ghosts" of the tracks and turntables etc, are still recorded in the stone of the pavement.
Fascinating, even by your standards. Now, please, a video about the massive beer depot in the undercroft at neighbouring St Pancras. Please.
I really enjoy the economic aspects of how things panned out the way they did. The reasons behind decisions taken at the time and their consequences (and the curve-balls that no-one predicted).
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy looking at the infrastructure and physical evidence too though!
It looks like the developers have done a very sympathetic job. I will certainly go and have a look there next time I’m in the Smoke. Those gasometer flats look cool too!
I can recognise some of the buildings from the 70s.
What about Battlebridge, the bridge that went over by the gasometers, is that still there? Named after a Saxon battle nearby.
😖 Gas holders, not gasometers!
@@sirmeowthelibrarycat French chemist Antoine Lavoisier invented the gas holder; he called it the gazomètre. Gasometer is the commonly used Anglicised version of the word.
Thanks for "shedding" somelight on this old buildings history
Please...👍😆
Another fascinating history lesson by Jago. Thank you.
Not railway-related, but in 1969, during the Daily Mail Trans-Atlantic Air Race, a Harrier "Jump-jet" landed in this goods yard and certainly blew away any remaining coal dust from the yard! The race was from the top of the (then) Post Office tower nearby to the top of the Empire State building in New York and Kings Cross goods yard was the nearest landing site to the Post Office tower. You'd *NEVER* get permission to land any aircraft in a city centre nowadays!
Central Saint Martins Art College is now housed in the Granary Building - it's a cool place!
Yes, I was surprised he didn't mention it. The old building is now Foyles bookshop.
The quail warehouse being noisy amused me and then you suggested that the fish could get rowdy! That had me giggling.
Love your vids, pls keep them coming.
Live very close to this area and absolutely love what they’ve done, the history is kept on show but done tastefully
I've just graduated from Central Saint Martin's which is on the door step of the Coal Drops Yard. I love walking along the canal and have fond memories of the place.
It looks like an interesting place to spend a few hours- a slightly more civilised and less touristy Camden Market.
I shall have to visit.
@@frankmurray1549 yep must agree. I now avoid Camden at all costs. The new kings cross looks so much better.
it's nice but the market's relatively small. don't forget to see the floating bookshop just down the canal from the big green stairs.
I also visited Camden Market in the late 70s when it was just a few stalls (and easy to walk around).
This was a total eye-opener. Every view, every word so interesting. I'd love to see it but- wrong side of the world. Thanks so much, Jago.
I remember that area in the 1970s - it was grim and not particularly safe to wonder around - glad new uses were found for the old buildings - it's new state is a great transformation
Fabulous, yet again, love to see areas, re-made, rather than knocking down. keep the passion flowing. a London lad who became a Journeyman of life.
Back in the day used to go to raves in Bagley's which was held in the depot and this was before 90s dance music became known to the wider public, so it was "Our Thing"
Bagleys!! Just the name brings back memories!
@@darganx Same for me when I was typing the comment it brought back nothing but good memories, which is why Im still very attached to how the King Cross area once was.
Yep, Slammin Vinyl was legendary. Miss those times.
Wonderful development . Still nostalgic with all these wonderful warehouses .
Love those old tracks and buildings. Glad that the buildings are used for other things like offices, stores and restaurants.
Even by the late 70s, most of them were empty despite the yard still running.
MAG---NIFICENT! To my eye this is what sensitive AND intelligent redevelopment looks like!
Thank you Jago!:-) 🖖
I used to work for Freightliners Ltd, at Bishops Bridge Road, Paddington. I can still remember the King’s Cross terminal was number 45. Willesden was 47, while Stratford was 43. Strange what I remember from early employment. 🤔
Another place where Ex Sailors were employed was in the theatres, there skill with ropes was used for the curtains , set and special effects.
Beautifully descriptive, wonderfully informative, and told with the usual gentle humour. Absolutely marvelous!
Greatly enjoyed this. Thank you.
I wish I had taken the time to explore this area before it was redeveloped.
Stunning place. Lots of CCTV cameras about I see. I presume it's to livestream 24/7 fantastic industrial archeology to interested persons.
Thank you for your great research!
It was discovered back in 2019 that it isn't just CCTV but also facial recognition. There was a lot of noise about data protection as private companies must ask your permission before trying to identify you.
The top end by Stable St used to be a potato market until a few years back. Got to say that the area is much improved, considering what it was like in the 90s. Ladies of the night central!
I was driving through there early one morning and pulled over to get something from the glove box ..my passenger door opened and in jumped a lass , asking if I wanted business hahaha ..she even got a few cigs from me .
As portrayed in Mona Lisa with Bob Hopkins. Brilliant film.
@@caw25sha Is that reply to my comment ???
@@frankyw8803 No, Richard Potter's. I don't think you getting something out of your glovebox was in Mona Lisa but the, err, profession carried out in the area sets the background for the film.
@@caw25sha Hahahaha , its more than famous ..its legend .
Another winner. I really enjoyed this video. This is exactly the kind of topic I enjoy most from your channel.
👍🏼😎
Memories.
This huge building is where we used to go for all night raving parties in the 90s
The Church?
@@capcompass9298 Used to be Bagleys. Was just The Church on Sundays after the ravers had gone
@@darkerarts Cheers for the info.
I live in Canada, yet love watching your videos....the UK has so much history. I enjoy them....good job!
Quails, Egypt - who knew? Fascinating.
Fattening Up Quails I am sure is some kind of encylcopedia copyright error trap
Feels more like Manchester or Leeds when you're there than London. Great addition to the area.
The Great Northern Railway wasn’t the only company involved in the construction of the East Coast Main Line. It was built by 3 companies, The North British Railway, The North Eastern Railway and The Great Northern Railway.
One of my great-grandfathers worked as a plate layer for the Great Northern Railway back in the late 19th & early 20th centuries.
Your videos NEVER dissapoint - this is very interessting and presented with that unque dry sense of humor of yours 👍 Absolutely Brilliant 👍👍👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Fascinating history of the goods yards.
So happy to have inet again, I've missed watching your videos over breakfast 🤗
Always something to learn from you informative videos.
Thanks jago 👍🏻
A good friend of mine used to live above (and work in) a dirty book shop in Kings Cross. It has definitely scrubbed up since then.
Yours is one of few sites I drop a like as soon as I open it,as you always provide interesting entertaining content. Thanks from the Antipodes.
What a great looking area. Love the old buildings and canopy covered areas. Thanks for sharing :)
Thank you Jago for taking me along
Great video Jago,great photography,a thoroughly enjoyable mini documentary.
Sir, once again you have outdone yourself. Bravo.
Another great video! Interesting, informative and concise. Thanks you.
As always a fascinating and interesting film, thank you. Looks like it’s been a sympathetic restoration looking after some of London’s history, always good to see.
Thank you for a most informative and well produced video. I like the way that lots of the original railway infrastructure has been kept and incorporated into the new development. I look forward to your next video.
Excellent Jago! Another destination on my list.
Another marvelous tale
Thank you Jago
Interesting video, thanks for taking the time to make and share.
Thanks Jago, another interesting show. I just want to vistit a Quail warehousel now. Would be a feather in my cap or I suppose a feather every where.
Just beware of the rowdy fish!
Really interesting. I like that the position of track, turntable, crane, capstan, etc, have been preserved. It looks like a nice area.
My Mum used to talk about the canal . It was one of her favourite places to investigate as a kid which was in the steam era. She said from memory they used Clydedales to move some barges. Around World war 11 in the early 1940’s
I remember the Mutoid Waste Company and their skull lorry they appeared at Glastonbury too with their carhenge good times. Thanks for the video excellent stuff
Great video as usual. I learn more in 5 minutes from your videos than pretty much any other CZcams channel! It's been a while since I've been to this area. I want to go back now and have another (more informed) look!
Fascinating. Thank you Jago
I wouldn't mind going there the next time I'm in London. Thanx Jago
Know the area well. It's facinating. Thank you
I like these kind of videos about things related to the railways. They are very accessible.
So the hydraulic system was in place until 1838, before the yard opened, then was replaced by electric powered capstans, so that's very very early for electric, a hundred years early. LOL.
Great content as usual.
Yes, bit of a blunder… 1938?
Wow, this looks amazing. Passed this area for years (coming up from Ashford via HS1) and observed a lot of the development. If I'm ever allowed back in to the UK will need to visit, and will be able to view this from a different perspective.
So thoroughly interesting. This is probably the best one you've done, I love it.
That`s changed! I worked in The King`s Cross good yard as part of my railway apprenticeship in the early seventies. The Drive Slowly sign is genuine as I remember it being there in 1972. beyond the Coal house was the steam Loco maintenance shed: "Top Shed" as it was known and the pit for the loco turntable was still there as were the pits for maintaining the underneath the locos. None of the other buildings were in use at that time, save the potato market so I could wander around to my hears content imagining what is was like at its peak. Thanks for uploading this great video.
I worked for British Rail, and I was based at Kings Cross station from 1989 to 1991. BR had a Red Star Parcels Office in the Goods Yard until @ 1990. I remember being sent here to fill out forms in triplicate for a parcel that I was asked to send.
Thanks Jago, brings back memories of warehouse raves in the 80s/90s.. I actually liked when it was run down and decrepit, had a certain charm as it looked like Dickensian London, or how I pictured it.
Great video. Coz of you we will go there. Excellent.
Great video, thanks for sharing, looks like a good day out around this area. 👍✌️🇬🇧
Keep up the good work fella and stay safe! 🚂
This is where I never been to. And I always wanted to go there. Very nice including the canal as well. Amazing place.
Fascinating history, thank you.
Despite coming and going from King's Cross for 25 years, I'd never ventured here until a couple of years ago. Very nicely redeveloped. It's a pleasant walk along the canal to/ from Camden, with a stop for refreshments at Coal Drops Yard.
I’ve been waiting for this!! I love this place
I remember the Mutoid Waste Company! Such imagination and creativity. We used to skulk around here from time to time. Security cameras in their zillions were a thing of the future. The Scala, offering a club, bar and cinema and more was a short walk away. "No trespassing" signs were clearly visible, but chains lacked padlocks and security guards were not patrolling often. The artists and artisans had an area, but much was seemingly abandoned, bored older teens like ourselves got a sense of adventure taking a stroll through areas we weren't meant to be in. Just one of the many things London had to offer for free back then. I shall try and get the book, but a huge thank you for the work you do bringing this fabulous city and my old memories back to life. I think we might have to make a journey and moor up nearby for a long weekend. Brilliant video, as ever.
That was fascinating and freaky at the same time. Did CZcams know I was there the day after you uploaded this, thus recommending I watch it? I stumbled upon the yard when walking along the canal with my girlfriend and was fascinated by what it once was. Now you've told me Jago, thank you!
One of your most interesting posts.
Nice to see they repurposed the frames of the old gas holders and put the flats inside rather than tear the whole lot down.
The gas holders were moved: they used to be much closer to King's Cross. As I recall, they were dismantled very early in the redevelopment process, with the parts stored for years (somewhere near Camley Street?) and then reconstructed on the other side of the site.
A very good informative video, thank you.
Interesting facts and informative,keep em coming!
Thanks for the video Jago.
Some of us vegetables from Lincolnshire still come down to Kings Cross occasionally!
Ah you finally did it! Thanks so much Jago, I will certainly have a read of that book. Very interesting video - great job! I've been trying to find some better pictures from the period to see what it was like in full operation back in the day but there's not a lot to be found sadly. Very interesting place though.
Fascinating stuff, great video
In the 1960s as a train spotter one had to climb through the coal depot to get access to Kings Cross motive power depot aka 34A if you tried the front gate a BR jobsworth would chase you away. I managed coal depot access many times once in the shed they tolerated spotters.
There were guards on the front gate in the 70s but not by 1980.
They blocked the side gate across the canal, now open, I believe.
Hey Jago, you could dig a little deeper on this one: For a redevelopment, it is absolutely outstanding in its taste, preservation of industrial aesthetic and history. How exactly did this happen? Who did it? What else have they done? Normally there is way, way more demolition and glass put into these things. It's more like they evolved the buildings and spaces than redeveloped them. Some people have been wondering if the developers / architects were forced to preserve so much or if they are just run of the mill geniuses
BULLENS removal company was based there in the 80,s.also pickfords removals had a spell there too .
I also was a freight guard there at 5 arch depot,in the 1970,s when the electrification overhead program started on the east coast main line and great northern surburban lines. electrification work trains worked out from from 5 arch yards ,as did the sand trains my first job .great memories in those days.I was first guard to work a train into the EMU switched on newly electrified 313 and 312 depot at Hornsey EMU sidings.yes bring those memories back if only you could.
There was a Golf Driving range in there somewhere in the 90s , And the Flying Scotsman Pub was a sight to behold lol
I live right nearby, and I love coal drops, one of my favourite bits of London
Excellent as usual
Kinda reminds me of what they did to the suburb of Tenerife in Brisbane.
Used to be a highly industrial town of Bulimba existing on both sides of the river, but when boats got bigger the docks moved downstream leaving old industrial brick buildings empty.
Then they get turned into restaurants and offices with disused track all over the place.
What a fascinating video 👍
Another great video.Thank you
I know this area well and if anyone wants a destination to spend a day at you can't do much better than here. Along with the cathedral known as St. Pancras there is plenty to keep you occupied and the whole area oozies in fascinating history...
Thank you for this video! Very informative and much appreciated! :) God bless!
Never knew about those night clubs, great video as always!!
Great video. I worked on the redevelopment of coal drops yards and the (fish and) coal offices along with a few other plots around KXC. It was very interesting to see them prior to the renovation commencing, I can confirm the sign on the offices is an original.
Cheers!