ICON OF THE INDUSTRIAL AGE RESCUED

27 Jun 2005 11:15 AM

A former steam locomotive watering point from St Pancras station, which was saved from demolition, was formally opened on a new site on the 22 June 2005 after a major re-location operation by Heritage of London Trust Operations and English Heritage.

The gothic-style waterpoint, designed to complement Sir George Gilbert Scott’s St Pancras Station and the adjoining Midland Grand Hotel (now St Pancras Chambers), is the only survivor of seven structures located behind the station to supply water for steam locomotives. The upper section contains a cast iron tank the weight of which, when full of water, would be in excess of 80 tons.

Sir Neil Cossons, Chairman of English Heritage, who officially opened the waterpoint today, said: “I am delighted that after hard campaigning and constructive discussion with our partners, we have saved this fine example of Victorian Gothic architecture from demolition. In its new home it will provide a significant asset and educational resource for the area and serve as a reminder of a great era in England ’s industrial history.”

Julian Spicer, Chairman of the Heritage of London Trust, said: “St Pancras Waterpoint is a building of architectural merit in its own right. Without the support of English Heritage and the many other funders, the Trust could not have achieved the successful and unique process of transporting the building in sections and re-erecting it on its new site.”

Ted Allett of London and Continental Railways and the Rail Link Countryside Initiative said: “This is another example of how, with a common aim and wide co-operation, major developments can produce win-win outcomes: the Waterpoint in its new role will be so much more widely appreciated.”

Mary Austin, Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund’s London Committee, added: “St Pancras Waterpoint is a nationally important structure that is integral to the overall design of St Pancras Station and plays an important role in the area’s history. We are thrilled to help ensure its future as a local landmark, as well as opening it up to the public for the first time.”

The ornate red brick waterpoint formed an integral part of St Pancras Station and its adjoining buildings, but it is also a structure of significant architectural and historic interest in its own right. It is believed to be England ’s only example of an original steam locomotive watering point designed as a whole building, rather than as a tank on columns or a plinth.

However, the waterpoint’s fate appeared to be sealed in 1996 when the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act authorised the demolition of the grade II listed building and the redevelopment of the site on which it had stood untouched since the early 1870s. A rescue operation was mounted by English Heritage and the Heritage of London Trust Operations, an independent charity. London and Continental Railways, the owners of the building, agreed to a relocation plan and contracted Heritage of London Trust Operations to organise the move by November 2001. The whole project, including repair work and improvements to access, cost almost £900,000 and was funded by grants from London and Continental Railways, the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage, the Heritage of London Trust, Camden Council, the King’s Cross Partnership, the Rail Link Countryside Initiative and the Architectural Heritage Fund.

The top two sections of the brick and stone building were moved some 700 metres by road to limit damage to the structure. Each of the sections weighed between 125 and 135 tons and the relocation used two of the largest mobile cranes in the UK as well as specialist road transporters. The lowest third section formed an integral part of the boundary wall on the original site and could not be moved, however, reclaimed stone and bricks from this section were used for reinstatement and repair on the new site.

The waterpoint now stands prominently on a viaduct overlooking St Pancras Yacht Basin on the Regent’s Canal, and is to be leased to British Waterways for use as a reception and exhibition area. A viewing platform has been constructed within the original tank which provides fine views south to the waterpoint’s former home at St Pancras station and the new CTRL link, as well as King’s Cross and Camley Street Natural Park and north to the former Great Northern Goods Yard which is awaiting regeneration as part of the King’s Cross Central development.

For more press information, please contact Anya Matthews , English Heritage Corporate Communications, on 020 7973 3372.

IMAGES OF THE WATERPOINT DURING ITS RELOCATION ARE AVAILABLE ON THE PA PICSELECT SITE www.papicselect.com IN THE ENGLISH HERITAGE FOLDER UNDER “ST PANCRAS WATERPOINT 2005”.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Project credits Structural Engineers: The Morton Partnership Ltd Specialist Contractor (Relocation): Abbey Pynford plc of Watford Cranes and Transporters: Jim Parkinson Ltd Repair and Refurbishment: Universal Stone Ltd

Grants Heritage Lottery Fund £630,500 The Architectural Heritage Fund £10,000 (and £150,000 project funding loan) London & Continental Railways £137,000 English Heritage £71,460 Kings Cross Partnership £15,290 Rail Link Countryside Initiative £15,000 Heritage of London Trust £5,000 London Borough of Camden £4,900