King's Cross
The building that gave King's Cross it's name.
Location: York Road, Kings Cross
Description: King's Cross is named so because in 1830 an 11ft statue to the new King George IV was erected here at the cross roads of The New Road (Now Euston Road), Maiden Lane (now York Way), Pentonville Hill (now Road), and Gray's Inn Road. It stood atop a 60ft tall building that was used for various things - an exhibition hall, a police station, a public house and later, even, a beer shop. It included a camera obscura in the upper part of the building.
The statue apparently wasn't a good likeness of the king and was subject of much derision. Thus, it didn't last long and the statue was removed in 1842, and the building went 3 years later.
Author and journalist George Walter Thornbury called it a ridiculous octagonal structure crowned by an absurd statue.
Quirky
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The building that gave King's Cross it's name. |
Ranking This Month: 1731/3091
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Location Pinpointed:
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pinpointing the forgotten and lost history of London
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