Euston isn’t an obvious contender as one of the ends of the line, but for regular Watford commuters, you’ll know one of the Overground branches ends here. So a great opportunity to explore in a little more detail an area I know well having worked opposite Tavistock Square Gardens for many a year; a time that gave me some good and not so good memorable moments: such as getting caught up in the London bombings on the 7th July 2005.
For years I had casually passed many of the historic and iconic buildings and admired the architecture without stopping to look beyond the facade. This day gave me an opportunity to do just that and made me realise why this ‘endoftheline’ journey is so exciting and revealing.
Walking along Euston Road, directly in front of Euston Station, there’s the impressive Wellcome Trust building, the modest 30 Euston Square building, a multi-occupied building which in part houses the Royal College of General Practitioners, and the historic London Fire Brigade Euston Fire Station.
Across the road, there are two imposing religious establishments: firstly Friends House, the central office of Quakers in Britain; and secondly, St Pancras Church, a home for Liberal Anglican Christianity in Central London. Often I’ve walked past and thought how tatty it looks from the outside, but one step inside and you bathe in its religious wonder. Look at this 360° view for a full immersive experience. Oh yes, as I walked across the road, I passed today’s celebrity, Lisa Hammond.
To the rear of the church, you have access to their Crypt Gallery, and across the road is The Place, ‘…a creative powerhouse for dance development that is leading the way in dance training, creation and performance…’. Impressive in itself, but the building it now occupies was once the home of the 20th Middlesex Artists RV.
Transport has to be the theme of this blog, but before focussing on the station itself, there is a new kid on the block to challenge the Boris bike, sorry Santander bike. I personally believe the innovative approach to cycling across London has been a great success, but the Ofo Bike Share is now offering a more flexible approach to bike sharing in that you don’t need to return the bike to a dedicated dock. So if you think you see bikes abandoned across London, look again and it may be an Ofo.
Entering the mainline station, the entrance is hidden behind a rather dull and dreary bus terminal, but from the main road, the road entrance is guarded on either side by two gatehouses, on which are inscribed the terminal destinations, in alphabetical order, from Euston. I am drawn particularly to the one on the left which bares, as the second inscription, the name of my birth and hometown – Aberystwyth. The station front is also guarded by an imposing cenotaph in front of the 60’s architecture.
Once inside the station, you realise how busy the concourse is with several train operators serving destinations along the west coast, Scotland and Wales. A walk along the TFL Overground platform was in order so that I could truthfully declare I had been to the end of the line.
Out of the station and running along it’s eastbound edge is Eversholt Street, where there are signs of a more seedier side of London, and walking slightly further east, you delve into Somers Town.
…and now nearing journey’s end, but not before heading up to Camden Lock and its surrounding Market and cacophony of market stalls, colourful shops and eclectic tastes. Camden deserves a blog of it’s own, but alas not here, but well worthy of a return visit to spend the day there.
For more info, look up Euston on Wikipedia
Picture of the Day
This stained glass window is taken inside St Pancras Church and commemorates the life, loves and deaths of the 19th Century architect William Milford Teulon’s family.
This was a poignant moment during my day around Euston station and a moment of admiration too, of the open and free nature of the church: it’s doors open to all comers at all times. I was alone at the time of my visit and able to enjoy the church’s array of stained glass windows. Why this one?
With the sun shining through, the colour’s magnificence transforms an otherwise dull spot in the church into one of thoughtfulness, hope and salvation to those looking for it. It was a moment not to pass and on reflection, it has provided an opportunity to learn a little about the architect himself.
Settings: Camera – Canon EOS 200D; Aperture – ƒ3.5; Shutter Speed – 1/60; Focal Length – 20mm; Film Speed – ISO160; Google Photo Filter – Palma
Social Media
YouTube, Instagram, Google Photos, Triptipedia – here I share some tips I use when travelling around London. A different twist on my ‘end of the line’ story
The End Of The Line 