Charing Cross

The scenes depicted on the walls of Charing Cross Station got me thinking about what the current centre of London may have been like in times gone by.

 Charing comes from the old English word "cierring" meaning to turn, which referred to a bend in the River Thames.  The Cross was added to the Hamlet's name after the memorial cross to Eleanor  was erected in 1291-94.  

An inn stood in the area now known as Trafalgar Square, a chapel and hospital occupied the land from Northumberland Avenue to the river.  Much of the land in the area was seized by the King a few years later during the crusades.  In later centuries houses of nobility were built in the area, no doubt due to the proximity to the Palace of Westminster.  

Charing Cross Station Celebrates 150 Years

Charing Cross Station had a wee bit of a celebration on Saturday to mark its 150th anniversary.  It should have been back in January as the first train pulled out of the station on 11 January 1864, crossing the imposing steel Hungerford bridge.  The bridge was not popular as many thought it ugly and wanted the station moved to the other side of the river and the bridge removed.  It remains today with a foot bridge on either side of it.

The original station had a grandiose roof, much like that of St Pancras, but there was a bit of a catastrophe in 1905 when a rage section of the roof collapsed killing 6 people.  Replacing the roof and constructing the additions for the new northern line took a year, reopening on March 1906.

Back to the celebrations, it was a lovely sunny day on Saturday so perfect for a wee party and a reason to dress up like our ancestors.  There were a few market stalls in the courtyard in front of the station selling produce from Kent.  Although a rather understated celebration it is a significant milestone for the railway station.

Eleanor's Cross

King Edward was heart broken when his beloved wife, Eleanor of Castile died in 1290 at Harby near Lincoln. During the next 5 years he had 12 crosses made and erected at each of the places they rested overnight when he brought her body back to London fro burial at Westminster.

Only three crosses remain. One of these is in front of Charing Cross Station. Although this was restored by the Victorians and is more lavish than the original. It has undergone a recent restoration with the scaffolding only being removed in the last month.