One of my New Years resolutions for 2011 is to do more events in London - talks, theatre, opera, exhibitions etc. Having lapsed on the culture front last year I felt that a regular dose of all this good stuff was necessary if only to make my pub chat a little less banal. And so it was that I went along to the Royal Geological Society on Monday evening to hear the hugely respected British director Mike Leigh give a talk about London's Hidden Gems.
It kicked off with an apology that his talk was not on brief, instead he was going to tell us about two of his favourite London buildings; one long gone and one very much still with us, those being respectively the old Euston Station (including the Arch) and The British Museum. He went on to give a very personal account of his relationship with both buildings; Euston station the grand entrance to London when he first arrived by train from Manchester in the late 40s and The BM who's grand rooms and corridors he wondered at a time when they were much less popular and probably more dusty and which remains in his life today as neighbour across the street from where he lives.
Both buildings were constructed around the same time and their grand hallways added later also built within a year or two of each other. Descriptions of the barber shop and ornate bathrooms complete with marble baths under Platform 9, as well porters and leather studded benches painted a picture of a station that one would find impossible to relate to the building that exists today.
He holds Harold Macmillan ultimately responsible for the wanton descruction of such a grand building along with it's graceful doric order Arch, as it was the Prime Minister who sanctioned it's demolition despite being a man of traditional values who studied the classics at Oxford. Not even a vociferous campaign to save the buildings lead by John Betjeman could save it. Thankfully Betjeman's efforts were more successful with regard to Euston's neighbour St Pancras which was saved from a similar fate when a preservation order was slapped in it despite British Rail's best efforts. For that we should be grateful for now we have an impressive station that equals any of Europes finest as an appesite way to welcome visitors to one of the worlds greates cities.
The current station (designed by Taylor Woodrow in 1962) came in for quite a bit of flack as being totally unsympathetic to its surrounding environment. One only need walk down Eversholt Streetto get the full measure of an artictecural slap in the face - an imposing long drab wall with now windows or breaks running down east side of the street. However in the Q&A that followed one lady did come to its defence saying that the two offices in front of the station were not part of the original plan which would have given it a more open and better proportioned front aspect. However no-one could defend the drabness of the interior with its lack of natural daylight and soulless gangways.
He spoke about the British Library as an old friend who had been a constant presence throughout his adult life - a short cut, a place learn, an escape, a place to draw and create. Its great hall and strict classical order remind him of Euston station. As for the future, he was cautiously enthusiastic about the proposed Sainsbury funded and Rogers designed Northwest corner development that is currently in the works.
Finally, as a nod to the title of the talk, he encouraged us to walk down Oxford Street and look up. Yes, there is plenty of crap, but look above the shop fronts and while much of the space above is unused and unloved there is wonderful detail of the original buildings still visible that's worth raising our heads for.
A panel followed which included the Guardian's architecture critic and the chap from Restoration. In general it concurred with Leigh; the concensus being that development is too much tied to profitability which results in poorly designed buildings being built. I liked the quote that many of the world's best architects have built their worst buildings in London (Renzo Piano's Shard, Foster's Albion Wharf). Also planners should live where they plan otherwise they fail to appreciate to context and environment that surrounds a development site. A good piece of advice for any residents groups - don't be conned by developers' offers in return for planning concent - do an audit of what's alerady nearby to raise the the bar and push for more in return.
All in all, I thought this was a good start to my year of doing more culture. While I enjoyed the personal perspective of his talk, I don't think it was in any way polemical - I recall much the same being said about the Euston Arch in my History of Art lectures at uni along with the call to arms from the professor to look up above the shop fronts of Princes Street Edinburgh to catch a glimpse of what used to be. (This is something I've always enjoyed doing at times to my detriment- hence the title of my blog). Yes, it's sad to see buildings like old Euston station bulldozed and while I don't condone it, the shock of it's demolision was compounded by the building that replaced it. Planners and architects have a duty to the cities and the people they serve to ensure that new and redeveloped spaces and buildings are innovative and challenging (without being pugnacious) while being contextual and entirely appropriate.
As for London's other famous termini London Bridge is another example of how to turn a lovely Victorian station into a transport mess. But thankfully we still have some gems like St Pancras, Liverpool Street, Marylebone, even Waterloo and Victoria. Soon to be added to that list will be Kings Cross. This particular station was my gateway to London and unlike Mike Leigh and his Euston, I feel fortunate that I will see the Grade 1 listed building retored to it's full original simple glory with it's two front aspect arches cleared of the clutter that has clogged them for almost forty years. It may even persuade me to take the train to Edinburgh rather than fly!
