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Time for some EXTREME psychogeography. Do you reckon, when seen from above, that the King’s Cross concourse looks a bit like a glacier? There may be a reason for that. 1/6
Its curvy shape was designed to fit the curve of the listed Great Northern Hotel, to the right of the image in the first tweet and shown here about 100 years ago. 2/6
But why was the hotel curved? It had to follow the bend of the ancient Pancras Road as you can see on this map of 1862 (it’s the grey building beneath the green area). 3/6
But why does Pancras Road take that sharp bend? It’s following the meander of the River Fleet, which now flows beneath the station but was once exposed. You can just about make it out on the 1745 Rocque map 4/6
Here’s a famous illustration of the Fleet passing St Pancras church beside Pancras Way. But why did the Fleet take the route it did through the King’s Cross area? 5/6
You guessed it... the shaping of the land by glacial retreat at the end of the last Ice Age. So King’s Cross looks like a glacier thanks to the actions of a glacier 12,000 years ago. Can I claim my PhD in psychogeography now? 6/6
