St. Pancras Station

52 walks with my camera in 2010 - week 49

I travelled to St. Pancras Station to meet Emily off her train from Nottingham, home after her first term at University. As I arrived early I took a walk around the station, I have not been there since the station was restored and became the Euro Star International Station a few years ago.

I found two interesting sculptures, this first one was surrounded by Julie Etchingham and the film crew, I guess they were recording for ITV's Tonight programme.

A sense of wonder ... Martin Jennings' statue of John Betjeman.

Hand clutched to his hat, coat-tails caught by a gust of wind, John Betjeman gazes up at the magnificent arch of St Pancras station's freshly restored train shed.

Cast in bronze by sculptor Martin Jennings and unveiled by the poet's daughter, Candida Lycett Green. From when the Euro star's service began at St Pancras, alighting passengers have passed this image of the writer, lost in wonder at the power of William Henry Barlow's feat of engineering.

Jennings said of his sculpture: "All my choices were led by the station. What Betjeman is doing in the statue is what we all do - we look up, with an intake of breath. I have shown him as if he has walked in for the first time since the station was saved." Jennings worked from photographs and film footage of Betjeman, and was "nudged" in the right direction by Betjeman's family, in particular Lycett Green. She said: "He has captured his sense of wonder on first walking into a great man-made space such as a cathedral ... He always looked up at the roof - and in St Pancras more than anywhere. It is, after all, the greatest station roof on earth, isn't it?"

Around the base of the statue are carved lines from Betjeman poems, chosen by Jennings, including: "Here where the cliffs alone prevail. I stand exultant, neutral, free,/ And from the cushion of the gale. Behold a huge consoling sea."
for more information see The Guardian site

The arch over the station.

Looking down over the shopping area of the Station

This Statue is called 'The Meeting Place' by Paul Day, details on BBC London site.

I could only take this through two sheets of glass at a distance to fit it in. The details in the sculpture around the bottom is amazing.

Sourced store

... and then the reason I was there - Emily's train arrived early!!

Shame the barrier didn't work, especially as I wanted a picture, ....

... but she got through eventually.

followed by a big hug!

Welocme home Emily - I missed you!

Log - 52 Walks with My Camera in 2010 so far: 1. Bexleyheath, 2. Woodbridge River Front, 3. Hall Place Greenhouses, 4. Chislehurst, 5. Bluewater, 6. Theatre Land,7. Leeds, 8. Orford, 9. Snape, 10. Chatham,11. Nottingham, 12. Twickenham, 13. Woodbridge. 14. Red House. 15. Debden House. 16. RAF Bentwaters. 17 Friston and Saxmundham. 18. Ufford. 19. Wickham Market. 20. Greenwich Royal Park. 21. Felixstowe. 22. Trafalgar Square to Leicester Square Gardens. 23. Garden. 24. St James' Park. 25. Hall Place Gardens. 26. Moot Hall - Aldeburgh. 27. Shere. 28. Beer. 29. Lyme Regis. 30. Seaton. 31. Butley Priory. 32. Tewin. 33. Southwold Quay. 34. Framlingham Town. 35. Chillisford. 36. Erith Yacht Club. 37. Nottingham - Jubilee Campus. 38. Salford. 29. Bury St..  Edmunds. 40 Spire House. 41. Manchester. 42. Nottingham. 43. Waterloo Station. 44. Felixstowe Ferry. 45. The South Bank. 46. Snape MAltings. 47. Tunstall Forest. 48. Woodbridge. 49. St Pancras Station.