New shopping area Coal Drops Yard to open in King's Cross

By

Cajsa Lykke Carlson

Published
Dec 21, 2015

The King's Cross area in North London was one of the shabbiest parts of the city for a long time. But having undergone massive regeneration, it now houses the new Eurostar terminal and Central St Martins building, as well as a slew of new restaurants.

The newest addition to the area will be the Coal Drops Yard part, next to the Regent’s Canal, the Gasholders apartments and Granary Square. It will feature around 65 units holding a mix of boutique and destination shops and restaurants, and be designed by Heatherwick Studios, which also created the Routemaster buses in London.

The shops will have a focus on fashion and lifestyle and combine independent retailers and signature brands, all with "quality and traditional shop-keeping values." The design of Coal Drops Yard will see the re-use of the historic buildings at Coal Drops Yard combined with high-quality contemporary architecture. The area is set to open in 2018.

Morwenna Hall, Senior Projects Director, Argent (King’s Cross), says, “Coal Drops Yard has been designed to be a shopping experience unlike any other. The design by Heatherwick Studio is a considered response to the important Victorian industrial buildings from the 1850s; in fact, the ability for future visitors to the Coal Drops Yard to appreciate the history and various functions of these buildings has been fundamental to the design process.”

Thomas Heatherwick, Founder and Principal of Heatherwick Studio says, “We are thrilled to be bringing these Victorian industrial buildings and structures into public use. The Coal Drops were never originally designed for people to circulate through. We are turning buildings designed for goods into a place for people. We are doing that by bending and stitching the two roofs, allowing the public to read the original form and function and creating a new level of activity; and framing and weather-protecting a dynamic new public space for the city.”