Some marvellous black and white footage of Kings Cross station and surrounding streets in the 1950s and early 1960s from www.britishrailways.tv some seems to have been shot from the top deck of a bus and the tower of St Pancras. Shows York Way with two way traffic, Caledonia Street, Railway Street, the shanty town of buildings where the 1970s canopy now is, freight in the old railway lands, lots of filthy steam trains, including the A4s Wild Swan and Mallard. An absolute gem.
Smile You’re on TV
Islington Weather (BBC)- Tuesday: sunny intervals, Max Temp: 8°C (46°F), Min Temp: 5°C (41°F)Max Temp: 8°C (46°F), Min Temp: 5°C (41°F), Wind Direction: NW, Wind Speed: 8mph, Visibility: moderate, Pressure: 1027mb, Humidity: 71%, UV risk: low, Pollution: low, Sunrise: 07:16GMT, Sunset: 17:13GMT
- Wednesday: white cloud, Max Temp: 10°C (50°F), Min Temp: 5°C (41°F)Max Temp: 10°C (50°F), Min Temp: 5°C (41°F), Wind Direction: NW, Wind Speed: 13mph, Visibility: good, Pressure: 1025mb, Humidity: 69%, UV risk: low, Pollution: low, Sunrise: 07:14GMT, Sunset: 17:15GMT
- Thursday: white cloud, Max Temp: 10°C (50°F), Min Temp: 6°C (43°F)Max Temp: 10°C (50°F), Min Temp: 6°C (43°F), Wind Direction: WNW, Wind Speed: 7mph, Visibility: very good, Pressure: 1028mb, Humidity: 79%, UV risk: low, Pollution: low, Sunrise: 07:12GMT, Sunset: 17:16GMT
- Tuesday: sunny intervals, Max Temp: 8°C (46°F), Min Temp: 5°C (41°F)
Absolutely brilliant, thanks for posting. Very clear footage given its age and then being compressed for the web.
No sheep pens in 1963 it seems. And what a ramshackle circus on the station forecourt. I wonder what the key issues and concerns were for KX locals in those days? Were they the same as today or very different?
What a fantastic record – and loved the soundtrack too.
It’s a real shame that there isn’t a decent public classified online archive bringing together old (and not so old) images and films of London.
Councils, the Museum of London and others hold so much material in their collections, but you only get a chance to see the tip of the iceberg.
Glasgow points the way with the brilliant Mitchell Library. Well worth a look – http://www.mitchelllibrary.org/virtualmitchell/
Thanks for putting up your excellent film.
Great stuff. A really good find. I have watched the opening sequence half a dozen times, but I still can’t make out the exact route. Any help appreciated. The pall of smoke is quite amazing.