A series of pictures to show the alignment between Warren Street and King’s Cross tube stations can indeed be seen, as well as both stations from the main entrance to Euston station by the gatehouses at Euston Grove. Upon doing these extra surveys I found it was much easier to see Warren Street from King’s Cross than it is the other way round!
The main picture shows the Google satellite map with the alignment between Warren Street and King’s Cross and shows it clearly follows the north side of Euston Road for much of its length. Amazing when one thinks of the numerous poles, street lights, traffic lights, and trees along this alignment – its a wonder anyone can see one tube station from the other!
It surprised me how much of an incline exists between the two places. I did mention in the first part of this survey that there was a height difference of around thirty three feet between the two places. All my life I have known this area and never really noticed a gradient between the two locations but now this can easily be seen after having done these photographs, and its evident especially at the top and bottom ends of this incline.
The starting point underneath the roundel at Warren Street station and yes King’s Cross tube station can be seen from this very point!
Previous to that, in other research I have also found the New Road’s elevations have been much modified. The work in the sixties to improve Euston and Marylebone Roads with underpasses or flyovers as well as widening has in fact levelled much of the alignment so it is more difficult to see.
Take this example of a picture of Gower Street/Euston Road as seen on the London Transport museum archives – before the major improvement works was undertaken, and you will see what I mean. Such scenes showing a substantial gradient can no longer be seen and is evidence just how much levelling has been undertaken in order to facilitate the new Euston Road.
One of the problems with trying to spot King’s Cross from Warren Street was the regular crowds that assembled around the xmas tree belonging to University College Hospital. That plus the buses 18, 30 and 205 jockeying about the bus stop outside the hospital also made direct sightings of King’s Cross quite difficult, helped along by the numerous traffic plying between the two locations, as well as that crossing north to south and so on.
At least the King’s Cross tube roundel could just about be spotted from Warren Street if one was quite patient!
The direct line of sight between the two locations runs past the 14 bus stand opposite the main entrance to University College Hospital before closely following the northern edge of Euston Road as far as about Chalton Street then into the Euston Road towards the King’s Cross roundel.
Looking back to Warren Street’s roundel from the corner of Euston Square and Melton Street. The difference in height gain towards Warren Street becomes apparent when one uses a zoom lenses.
One can also see a significant incline down to Kings Cross, the problem is it just wasn’t easy because of the traffic and huge numbers of people walking! The sightline from Warren Street actually weaves past the trees on the north side of Euston Road so it is surprising there’s even any sightline of the roundels at either King’s Cross or Warren Street!
Taken a bit further along at the junction of Eversholt Street and moving slightly off the alignment itself, a full view of the King’s Cross roundel can be seen straight through a significant gap above the pavement between the fire station wall and the trees.
Looking back in the other direction, the incline up towards Euston Square and Warren Street is pretty well apparent. Euston Square station’s roundel can be seen on the left just past the Wellcome buildings, whilst Warren Street’s is harder to spot, and so its been ringed to show where it is.
With a full zoom both Euston Square and Warren Street’s roundels can be easily seen.
By the junction with Chalton Street the line of sight moves into Euston Road once again, and the King’s Cross roundel has been marked for easy reference.
A full zoom from Chalton Street shows why only part of the King’s Cross roundel can be seen from Warren Street! Its obstructed by the subway building near the Burger King.
Looking back from the same spot towards Warren Street and that one plus Euston Square’s, are not that easy to see.
However from a different angle further towards the southern edge of the Euston Road both tube stations’ roundels can be quite easily seen.
In both the above photos the gradient up towards Euston Square and Warren Street is even more apparent, as well as that down towards the roundel at King’s Cross. It surpises me because I have always though this road to be reasonably flat but now it can be seen Warren Street is over the brow of the hill and even the subway entrances to the King’s Cross underground station are built on an incline!
The roundel, the lighthouse but also the Burger King, HSBS and bureau de change signs that I referred to in yesterday’s post on this subject.
As the above photo shows, the famous lighthouse is easily seen. What’s more important perhaps is how the road drops down towards the very point where the Fleet River once ran. The depression (or valley) by King’s Cross station is quite apparent and known as a thalweg. This foreign sounding word is in fact the correct term for describing a river valley of any sort, even if its barely discernible – as in this case.
With this picture, now clearly showing the roundel at King’s Cross tube, the way the subway entrances have been built onto a slope (the thalweg) becomes amazingly clear for all to see.
All these illuminated signs can be seen from Warren Street tube station! Find these signs (they will be clustered very closely together as seen from Warren Street) then its simply a case of looking to the left and slightly downwards to find the King’s Cross roundel.
There are other lights that can be seen next to the King’s Cross roundel when viewed from Warren Street, I think it must be the illuminated signs on the corner for King’s Cross post office.
Or these lights could even be the signs alongside the main post office frontage right opposite the roundel itself.
Now that we are at the base of the King’s Cross roundel itself, let’s look back in the direction of Warren Street and see what can be sighted…
Both Warren Street’s and Euston Square’s roundels can be reasonably seen. Its a much better sighting than that from Warren Street itself eastwards!
In this picture taken on a slightly different alignment to show that at Euston Square better, both roundels have been highlighted to show exactly where they are.
The reason for the roundel at Warren Street being so close to the ground is because its over the brow of the hill that leads upwards from King’s Cross to Euston Square.
As I have mentioned more than once, the difference in elevation between the two locations is thirty three feet. Looking at these pictures it may seem like ten or fifteen feet total rise, but I can assure you the Ordnance Survey maps themselves say its 90ft above sea level at Warren Street and 57ft at King’s Cross where the subways to the tube station are sited. That makes the difference in height between the two places as 33 feet.
By now we all know the the King’s Cross roundel can be spotted from thirty three feet higher up at Warren Street. Did you know this roundel can be sighted from fifteen floors below too? 🙂
