St Pancras – My London+

The day dawned grey and unpromising. It didn’t disappoint in that regard. By late morning there was drizzle in the air. Nevertheless, there were things to see and see them I was!

St Augustine’s Abbey lies just beyond the City walls, but is only a short walk and one busy road to cross. Founded in 598 after St Augustine converted the King of Kent to Christianity. Augustine’s mission was to convert all Anglos-Saxons in Britain from paganism. The Abbey went on to be one of the finest and most influential in Europe. The extent of the building is amazing. I was particularly taken with the crypt. I also found a church dedicated to Saint Pancras and that took me all the way back to London and St Pancras Old Church in Kings Cross/St Pancas where I visited only a few weeks ago. I love it when history comes together.

The tombs have been covered over (roof) to keep safe

I decided to find out a little about this lesser known Saint. He was a Roman citizen who converted to Christianity and was beheaded for his faith at the age of fourteen in around 305. There are shrines to him in various countries. If you would like to read more about him go here.

St Pancras Church linked to shrines all over the world and to St Pancras Old Church, London

Note the red bricks. These are Roman and the church was Anglo-Saxon. Must be one of just a few remaining sites. One of the highlights for me.

One of my favourite views across the ruins looking towards Canterbury Cathedral

The Crypt seemed to be one of the most intact places, and I could almost visualise what it must have looked like. There felt to be something special here.

Outside the gate to the Abbey is a plan of a pilgrimage from here which is interesting. I wonder how many pilgrims have taken this route?

From the Abbey, I walked to St Martin’s Church, which can be found further up the road (signposted well). Unfortunately it was shut, but I was able to walk around the outside and take photographs. This, as you will note from the first photo below, is the oldest church in the English-speaking world! That is some claim.

Inside the church there is a statue of Bertha, wife of King Æthelberht, who St Augustine converted to Christianity. You may remember that Bertha was already a Christian, and it was her condition of marriage that he convert! Nice to see a woman with power!

Outside of the church you see different stone work.

The church has been added to, as was common, but the oldest part is Anglo-Saxon. From the outside it isn’t obvious which it is, but if you look at the website you can access videos about the walls and about Bertha and how the King restored the church for her.

St Martin’s, St Augustine’s Abbey and Canterbury Cathedral are all part of UNESCO World Heritage Site. I wonder how many cities have three such sites!

I’m assuming the red brick is the oldest, but I’m guessing!

After my visits I headed back into the city. The weather was closing in, so it was a quick walk around and before heading back to the hotel.

Eastbridge Hospital (note how the door and outer walls have sunk into the ground!

I headed into The Beany again to view the art galleries I missed last time. This artist impressed me with his use of cardboard (he paints as well). He likes to use recycled material in his work.

A few purchases! The Greyfriar came from the Eastbridge Gardens shop. The gardens were closed due to the storm (they had trees down), but at least the shop was open, and I couldn’t resist this little chappie!

Part 4 (the final one) is on its way. There is another storm coming and I have another mad idea!

This blog post is dedicated to my friend John, who died last week. He was an avid reader of my blog, and he said it kept him going during Covid lockdowns. I will miss him very much. RIP.

Let’s face it St Pancras/Kings Cross station is somewhere you pass through, an interchange for trains out of London. You might exit here for The British Library, which is just across the road, but there is much history here to see if you just wander….or in my case plan!

I’d heard about the Hardy tree for ages and seen photos of it online. I knew it was part of St Pancras Old Church gardens, but I had no idea where that was, and how many times I’d skirted around the edges of it without ever knowing. It was time to seek it out.

The location is easy to find. Depending on which exit you take from St Pancras you need to find Midland Road, general exit for The British Library. Here you cross a road and then turn right into Midland Road. St Pancras Old Church stands with its back to the rail lines and once stood alongside The Fleet River, one of the ‘lost’ rivers of London. There are many lost rivers. Most are now built over, but there is still evidence of them and there are many walks you can take to follow lost rivers. The Fleet was a big river in its day. People fished here, the wealthy lived alongside parts, but eventually everything ended up being thrown into it – animal carcases and other food waste, human waste and so on until it became a cess pit. There have been calls for parts of the Fleet to be uncovered. Sounds great, but I’m not sure how they would do it. The river began in Hamsptead, where also the Westbourne River originates (I have walked the length of that one!). Both rivers join the River Thames. Do read this fascinating article about the River Fleet here. There are some great photos.

St Pancras Old Church stands on the right hand side of Midland Road. I decided to walk around the gardens (former graveyard) first and find the Hardy Tree. And there it was! The story behind this unique place is down to the railway. St Pancras was always looking to expand. They needed more land. To do that they encroached onto the graveyard. Thomas Hardy (yes, the Thomas Hardy, famous author and poet) was overseeing the removal graves for this purpose. He ended up with lots of left over headstones. What to do with them? Well, he had this idea of of placing them around one particular tree. They have sunk into the ground a bit, but they are still there. It is quite a sight and photos don’t do it justice.

However, this is not the end because there are famous people buried here. John Soane, architect and collector (see this link for his museum) has quite a large tomb with what looks like the first phone box on top!

This is also the burial place of Johann Christina Bach (youngest son of composser Johann Sebastian Bach) and Carl Friedrich Abel, and at one time Mary Wollestonecraft was buried here. Her remains have been removed to Bournemouth, but her headstone is still here, and people still come to leave offerings on top of the headstone. Mary was the author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. She died just ten days after giving birth to her daughter Mary (Shelly) who went on to write Frankenstein.

Offerings are still on top of the headstone

St Pancras Old Church is a small Anglo Catholic Church. Basically, it’s as Catholic as you can get without actually being Catholic. It is the highest form of Anglican Church of England. This means the church is highly decorated with statues, and there is an altar to Our Lady of Walsingham. I loved the atmosphere here, I think because it is compact. The organist was playing and I sat down to listen and to make a short video. Before leaving I bought some postcards and a booklet.

If you cross the gardens to the far end (heading towards the bridge where the trains go over), you can take a short cut to Camley Street Natural Park. On the other side of the bridge, the gardens are just across the road. I came here some years ago with a friend, but it has all changed. Run by the London Wildlife Trust, they have given it an overhaul. There is a new centre with classrooms and cafe. A group of schoolchildren had not long been pond dipping, as their equipment was still out by the pond. They were now in the classroom. I walked the pathways. Staff were busy moving mulch from the front of the building to a plot near the back, so wheelbarrow loads of chippings were being wheeled along the narrow paths. It’s early in the season, so not much plant life about, though I found a group of snowdrops.

The park runs alongside Regent’s Canal. There has been building works going on here forever, it seems, around the station and Coal Drops Yard. They are still building. Before crossing over one of bridges to the busy side of the canal, I stopped and had lunch at the cafe in Camley Street Natural Park. Lovely food and great recycling!

Another view from the park. I love the way the gas works have been re-purposed

Over the bridge there is Coal Drops Yard. This is the former warehouse site, and a train used to come in from the other side (you can still see the tracks if you know where to look). Now it’s all eating places and designer shops and businesses. However, on ground level there is an outdoor Curling venue where you can have a go at the sport that’s popular at the Winter Olympics.

Taken from the bridge – Cafe and classroom

If you are in the mood for a nice walk, there is the canal. But I was getting cold now and it was time to return home.

This is why I love London so much. There are so many places to seek out. London is not all theatres, Buckingham Palace, museums and art galleries. There are quiet spaces just a stone’s throw away from major rail stations, or a trip on the tube.

I must just mention the toilets at Kings Cross. They are some of the best rail station loos I’ve ever used, and they well deserve their award for the best station toilets. Well done. These things are important for travellers and make such a difference after some of the crappy (pun intended) toilets I’ve had to endure in the past.

Tag: St Pancras

Canterbury Part 3 – An Abbey and the oldest church in the English-speaking world

The delights surrounding St Pancras/Kings Cross Station