Camden New Journal - St Pancras International Magazine: From Eurostar to 5-star style

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Camden New Journal - ST PANCRAS INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE
Published: November 2007

From Eurostar to 5-star style

The unveiling of St Pancras International will see the long- neglected Victorian station rebranded as a “destination” in itself, with a temple of fashion boutiques, haute cuisine eateries and the biggest champagne bar in Europe.
But will the development have positive knock-on effects for the people who live and work in its shadow?
Mohamed Golnaz, who works in the bureau de change opposite the station, says the Eurostar traffic will help bolster his trade. “This can only be good for us,” he said. “The Eurostar will obviously mean more French tourists and workers in
the area.”
Sir John Betjeman would be pleased to know that his crusade to stop his beloved station being bulldozed in 1966 to make way for faceless office blocks has not been in vain.
Fears of identikit shops and soulless shopping malls can be banished. London and Continental Railways have ensured high street favourites stand toe to toe with independently owned boutiques under the pillars and Victorian brick arches of the station.
And home-grown delicacies from the daily farmers’ market will bring a small piece of the country to the heart of London. “It will be nice to have a farmers’ market on the doorstep. We’ve got all the normal supermarkets around here but nothing like that,” said Margaret Bloomfield, a local resident.
The redevelopment is certainly good news for estate agents in the area. It has
precipitated a mini property boom. To buy a piece of Grade I listed Gothic splendour in one of the luxurious apartments in St Pancras Chambers – the site of the former Midland Grand Hotel – doesn’t come cheap. Starting at £450,000, all 67 apartments apart from the £10 million penthouse have been sold in advance of their opening in 2009.
Then there are the floods of Eurostar passengers, some stepping onto these shores for the first time, whom the hoteliers are greeting with open arms.
In this renowned cultural area – embracing the British Library, the famous Wellcome Collection, London University and within striking distance of Theatreland – there is a range of places to stay, from 5-star hotels to hostels.
JAMIE WELHAM

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