A lot of places in London have changed a lot, many of which I've posted about here. Of all the places that have changed, it's tempting to think Canary Wharf or More London have changed the most. Yes there have been massive changes in these areas in the past decade, but they're not even top two. Many places have changed even more. Take, for example, the area around the Olympics Stadium in Stratford and Bow. That probably takes the crown for the most transformed part of the city. Finsbury Park is another one.
If you ask me, the place that has change the most in the city, especially if you stretch it over 20 years, is the Kings Cross / St. Pancras area. This area has witnessed an unfathomable transformation since the days of it being the den of drugs, crime and prostitution. I remember back in the day, people being a little bit scared of walking around this area, especially at night. There were always dodgy looking people lining the streets at night soliciting something. There was also a high chance of getting mugged, or worse, back in the 90's. It also had some of the most hardcore trans and house music clubs that were open till the wee hours of the morning, heck some till sunrise, where the authorities seemed to turn a bland eye to the fact that everyone was on hard drugs.
Kings Cross Station, a tube and train station, and St. Pacras, a Rail station, were both quite grimy and dark. They both are very old and felt like it, with crumbling infrastructure. All the back streets and alleyways stank of urine and you know what else. You had to be careful not to step on a used needle. I had to catch a night bus there a few nights a week, since I worked late into the night back in those days when I was a student, so I was in the area a lot.
Fast-forward to today and this area has been revamped such that it’s now one of the coolest, trendiest part of the capital. Even Google moved their offices there and, no doubt, contributed to the cool aspect of the place now. Grimy potholes and back streets have been replaced with artificial water falls, pavements with open sitting areas. Kerbside drug dealing corners have been replaced by trendy cafes and vegan restaurants. The areas around the canal and Granary Square have been opened up such that the public now have safe access. In summer, people can be seen sitting around the steps area where they can watch the outdoor screen installed, which sometimes shows a feature film.
Canal boats can be seen floating by, or moored, some playing music, some functioning as such things as cafes and libraries. If you wait long enough, you can see boaters operate the locks at St. Pancras Basin to let their boats pass in either direction.
What I like about this area is that, while there are many new buildings in the typical glass and metal architecture, a lot of the original structures have been preserved - especially in Granary Square. It has been modernised without losing the feel of old London. I wish other areas of the city would follow this example. East London has gone the opposite route, especially around Hackney Wick and Bow, where structures have been completely pulled down and replaced with thee metallic glass towers.
Peace & Love,
Adé