
St Pancras
Dr Jonathan Foyle studies St Pancras, a masterpiece of Victorian design. He investigates the techniques used to construct both the train terminal and the Midland Hotel.
Dr Jonathan Foyle, architectural historian and novice climber, scales Britain's most iconic structures dating from the Normans to the present day, to reveal the buildings' secrets and tell the story of how our architecture and construction has developed over 1,000 years.
The next step Jonathan's journey takes him to King's Cross St Pancras, a masterpiece of Victorian design, widely regarded as London's most stunning and romantic station.
With unprecedented access to St Pancras, aided by champion climber Lucy Creamer, Jonathan scales all over the buildings to investigate the innovations and techniques used to construct both the train terminal and the elegant Midland Hotel. On the Midland Hotel, Jonathan climbs over 240 feet up the immense clock tower to explain how Britain had different time zones until the advent of stations like St Pancras. He discovers water-powered elevators, why penthouses used to be on the ground floor, and how the hotel was almost doomed to failure by only providing nine bathrooms for 400 bedrooms.
And in the station he scales the incredible glass span roof that crosses the main terminal - the largest of its kind in the world - to reveal the brilliance of its construction, how St Pancras was built on beer and why it took a poet to save one of London's greatest landmarks from being torn down.
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Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Jonathan Foyle |
| Participant | Lucy Creamer |
| Camera Operator | Ian Burton |
| Director | Emma Gray |
| Series Producer | Adam Barry |
| Executive Producer | Emma Read |
Broadcasts
Tue 21 Sep 201018:30BBC HD & BBC Two- Fri 4 Feb 201113:45BBC Two Northern Ireland & England only
- Mon 7 Feb 201114:30BBC Two Scotland
- Sat 12 Feb 201103:10
Fri 4 Mar 201118:00BBC HD- Sat 5 Mar 201112:00BBC Two Wales
Tue 23 Aug 201118:00BBC HD
Fri 23 Sep 201118:30BBC HD- Tue 24 Jan 201219:30
- Wed 18 Jul 201213:00
- Wed 20 Sep 202319:30
- Tue 11 Mar 202519:00
- Wed 12 Mar 202501:40