25 December 2012Last updated at 01:47

London King's Cross: Station's changes over 160 years

A computer-generated image (CGI) of the finished station

Christmas Day - when there are no trains running and therefore no passengers - has been chosen as the moment when the last section of King's Cross Station's 1973 façade will be demolished. It marks the start of the last phase of development which will give the station a public square for the first time in its 160-year history.

The 1973 façade due to be removed from King's Cross Station on Christmas Day

The 1973 extension was built to contain the main passenger concourse and ticket office. Although intended to be temporary, it has stood for 40 years. The façade was given a paint job in the summer ahead of the Olympic Games.

Since the station opened in 1852, the area in front has been obstructed with various features including troughs and a taxi rank, said Network Rail.

Exterior view of King's Cross station frontage, taken between 1870 and 1900

Removing the temporary façade will allow the Lewis Cubitt Grade I-listed frontage, seen here between 1870 and 1900, to be fully appreciated.

King's Cross opened as the London terminus for the Great Northern Railway and was the largest railway station in England.

The front elevation of King's Cross Station from the entrance to the underground on the opposite side of Euston Road

In this picture taken between 1968 and 1972 scaffolding can be seen as the façade, intended to be temporary, is installed.

Phase one of the King's Cross redevelopment project culminated in the opening of the new western departures concourse in March 2012.

The 7,000 square metre square will open to the public in August 2013.

London

London King's Cross: Station's changes over 160 years

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