More than 50 stores, cafes and restaurants have opened their doors to the public in a new vibrant shopping district, Coal Drops Yard, in the King’s Cross neighborhood, close to St. Pancras International Station, the Eurostar terminual. The whole is highlighted by a fusion of ancient and contemporary architectures succeeds.
This former industrial area was created in 1850 to process coal delivered to the British capital and later housed some nightclubs. Since 2011 the prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design has settled here.
Designed by the Heatherwick Studio, the architecture blends the arches of the old brick Victorian viaduct with modern structures staging undulating roofs, made of glass, metal and wood.
Until January 2019 the space is illuminated by the Spaces Frames, a luminous installation by the Mieke Meijer studio based in Eindhoven. Giant sculptural lights with graphic curves echo the surrounding architecture.
Among the signs are: The Coal Office – Tom Dixons HQ, flagship store and showroom, Paul Smith – a colorful boutique as it should be for the image of the famous English designer, Wolf and Badger – concept store with independent fashion, beauty and design brands, Manifesto – a cool and trendy barbershop, Cos – in a combination of fashionstore and art gallery, LPOL – chic leather goods from a former student of Central Saint Martins next door, plus Aesop, Cubitts, Fred Perry, Rains and Superga.
And for a drink or meal: Barrafina – Tapas bar, Vermuteria Bar & Café serving THE drink of the moment, Middle Eastern cuisine prepared by chef Assaf Granit in The Coal Office Restaurant and a juice bar at Wolf and Badger among others.
Easily accessible from the train station, with its location in the heart of King’s Cross, its spectacular architecture and pleasant public spaces along the canal and around Granary Square, Coal Drops Yard is becoming a new hype pole of attraction for visitors to London.
