I CAN’T get enough of St Pancras Station. The fantastic redesign has given its magnificent Victorian architecture a new 21st century life.
Trains are almost an added bonus. The place is a cathedral, concert hall, art gallery, shopping centre and even has a proper pub of the sort John Betjeman would recognise. And the Booking Office Bar does a mean gin fizz.
Last time I was there a grand piano was playing on the upper concourse while a band set up below. I can spend ages looking at the relief around the base of the travellers statue or staring up at the sweeping powder blue canopy.
St Pancras is a wonderful setting for adventure and intrigue. It has featured in both of my Danny Lancaster novels – The Wreck Of The Margherita and Death Squad.
There’s something about stations. Airports don’t have the same vibe. They’re just places to spend until your flight goes.
The new Kings Cross is a vast improvement on the old but St Pancras is in a class apart. Worth a day out on its own.
TANGOED: Had to smile at a report on the Olympic fashions of the Netherlands women’s hockey team which said: “Tangerine is not an easy colour to pull off.”
SPECIAL K: Jeremy Clarkson will wet himself with laughter but I think my Nissan Micra is fantastic.
We’re talking about the old K11 model here. Even the name means small – Micra is the plural of micron, one millionth of a metre.
Granted, it looks like a cartoon rollerskate but it zips through traffic with good low-speed acceleration and exploits spaces that the posermobiles don’t notice. It sips petrol, has low road tax and is even smooth on a long cruise.
It’s like Dr Who’s Tardis. Tiny from the outside, it is one of the roomiest cars I’ve driven – and I’m 6ft tall and spreading sideways at an alarming rate.
One downside is that the sunroof leaks. But once I start growing mushrooms on the damp upholstery it will make my K11 almost perfect.