St Pancras Station (Wonders of the World) [Paperback]

Simon Bradley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 2008 | Series: Wonders of the World

St. Pancras station has long been an iconic landmark on the London landscape. The neo-Gothic spires and multi-colored brickwork of the Midland Grand hotel and the awesome span of the station’s train-shed have made it one of the capital’s most distinctive monuments. Simon Bradley traces the history of the station, introducing us to the men behind the architecture, and looks forward to its future as home of Eurostar services to the continent.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'St Pancras is a masterpiece and so is this book.' Christian Wolmar 'There is nothing in this book that I am not happy to know; much more of it is valuable to know; all of it is a pleasure to know.' Judith Flanders, Spectator 'It is impossible to praise Bradley's book too highly' A. N. Wilson, Daily Telegraph 'St Pancras Station is a beautifully written book... Bradley's erudition makes it not merely a pleasure to read, but also an excellent introduction to the nineteenth-century Gothic Revival and the great age of railways.' Country Life 'This book reads like the best sort of biography... fabulous' Clive Aslet, Sunday Telegraph '[Bradley] is an architectural historian at the top of his game... a delightfully elegant writer whose curiosity and learning are infected by a deadpan drollery' Jonathan Meades, Evening Standard"

About the Author

Simon Bradley is editor of the World Famous Buildings of England series, founded by Nikolaus Pevsner, to which he has contributed a number of notable revised volumes. He lives in London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Profile Books (May 31, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861979517
• ISBN-13: 978-1861979513
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,318,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Packed social, technological, aesthetic history, April 15, 2009

By 

Sirin (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: St Pancras Station (Wonders of the World) (Paperback)

This slim book, published around the time that St Pancras was re-opening as the new hub for Eurostar trains from London to the continent is perfectly pitched as a treasure trove of history about this station - the greatest of the London termini. You might think this book would only appeal to retired history teachers and train spotters, but it has actually sold by the thousands. Aided in no small part by being published by savvy boutique publisher Profile books who specialise in turbo boosting surprising titles to literary success (most especially Eats, Shoots and Leaves).

The author Simon Bradley is clearly an affecionado of the architecture of St Pancras, detailing in technological mastery the famous Scott arch. But he also has time to look at the history of the hotel, with dollops of Victorian social history and the development of the railways as well.

He doesn't spare us his prejudices (classical architecture over modernism) and is clearly doubtful at the end over the juxtaposition of the flying carpet roof extension - a piece of modern design that abuts out of the classic arch in complete contrast to the existing station. Still, the changes did allow St Pancras to survive and thrive in the 21st Century (it was threatened with closure in the 1960s - a mad, bad decade for architecture).