Over a period of eight years, Pre-Construct Archaeology London participated in a programme of above and below ground recording in advance of the redevelopment of the land north of Kings Cross Station, encompassing the former Great Northern Goods Station and the former Imperial Gas Works.  Although some buildings were, razed others were renovated and modified, and new structures were built in order to provide residential, commercial and retail facilities. These include the University of the Arts London (UAL) as well as new landscaped public spaces and entertainment areas.

The nature and appearance of those structures which were to be retained were, through a programme of historic building recording, documented, described, surveyed and photographed before any modifications were made to them.

In tandem, a series of detailed archaeological excavations were undertaken in advance of the construction of new buildings: these targeted sample areas of particular interest and sensitivity, while watching briefs occurred elsewhere.

The excavations revealed details from the height of the Victorian industrial era, when the railways were being constructed and were replacing the canals, and provided insight into the strategy of the Great Northern Railway at the time.  In order to get ahead of the competition, GNR made a series of astute decisions: its London goods head would be bigger than those of its competitors, its route to the north would be faster, its yard would be partially mechanised through the use of a pioneering hydraulic system and its decision to take the coal trade in-house enabled it to corner the lucrative coal market.

Finds from the archaeological investigations, representing commonplace articles lost or discarded by workers, brought insight into the everyday lives of workers from the Victorian period up until the late 20th century, when the Goods Station and former Gas Works sites became derelict.

To deliver the archaeological mitigation of the development, Pre-Construct Archaeology built a very effective working partnership with the Kings Cross Partnership team, works contractors, and oversight bodies such as Historic England.  The work has to date resulted in the production of the first of a proposed series of three monographs.  These detail the results of the excavations and the standing building surveys, and combine them with historical research and analysis to deliver a rich picture of the industrial development and social impact of the coming of the railway to Kings Cross.

An Immense and Exceedingly Commodious Goods Station: The Archaeology and History of the Great Northern Railway’s Goods Yard at King’s Cross, 1849 to the Present Day

Rebecca Haslam and Guy Thompson, 2016.

PCA Monograph 19

Winner of the RCHS Transport History Book Awards 2019
Winner of the 2018 London Archaeological Prize-best archaeological publication in 2016–17
Winner of the Association for Industrial Archaeology Archaeological Report Award 2017