Eastern Coal Drops At Kings Cross Goods Yard

CAMDEN

TQ3083NW YORK WAY 798-1/79/1738 (North side) 27/07/83 Eastern coal drops at King's Cross Goods Yard

GV II

Coal drops. 1851-2. Probably by Lewis Cubitt. Late C19 southern section converted into a warehouse. Northern, coal handling bays, damaged by fire, 1985. Multi-coloured stock brick supported externally and internally by a framework of cast-iron columns and beams in each bay. Slated hipped roof. EXTERIOR: oblong plan; 2 storeys and mezzanine. South elevation with single storey extension above which main building with 4 lunettes, recessed oblong panels below and brick pilasters supporting iron gable end. Eastern elevation with segmental-headed ground floor openings (cart loading bays), brickwork of arches extended and linking to give impression of arcading with inset cast-iron Tuscan columns. Metal framed windows with small panes. Occasional flat circular pattern in brickwork of spandrels. Mezzanine floor with half length segmental-arched windows and brick cornice, breaking at the window heads. 2nd floor (railway level), shallow brick arcading blind apart from lunettes in arch heads; recessed oblong panels at the base of each arch. Western elevation with similar arcading and remains of railway line on round-arched viaduct at top floor level. INTERIOR: has massive timber framing to support railway at upper level and storage hoppers at mezzanine. Open composite truss roof with timber tie-beams, rafters, collars and struts and single iron rods from the apex; also queen posts of wrought-iron. Wrought-iron plates at joints and cast-iron brackets where principal rafters are formed of two timbers joined at collar height. HISTORICAL NOTE: the coal drops were built as part of a system of distributing coal from the north-east and Yorkshire to the London market. Originally the structure carried 4 high-level railway tracks from which waggons discharged coal into storage bins on the mezzanine floor above cart-loading bays. A waggon traverser was provided at the southern end by which empty waggons were transferred to a wooden viaduct west of the coal drops. Approach by road is at a lower level.

Listing NGR: TQ3005483550