Seven and a half abandoned stations at King's Cross

Summary of the video (auto-subtitle cleanup likely needed)

The video explores “seven and a half” abandoned (or partly abandoned) train stations around London’s King’s Cross area, plus an abandoned bus depot. It focuses on how rail infrastructure evolved as companies expanded, reconfigured lines, and repurposed facilities.

1) Temporary “original” King’s Cross station (briefly existed)

• Location clue: near where Coal Drops Yard / the market area is now
• Time: 1850–1852
• Why it existed: the Great Northern Railway wanted to start running trains before the main station was fully completed, so it used a temporary stop while a tunnel was dug under the canal.
• Name variations noted: possibly Maiden Lane or King’s Cross (sources disagree).
• Visibility: “nothing can really be seen from it” today.

2) Great Northern goods/freight depot (repurposed “original” station area)

After passenger use ended, the Great Northern converted the site into a freight depot.

Industrial uses described:

• Warehouses across the Coal Drops Yard area
• Vegetables unloaded around/at the Canopy Market
• A large nearby warehouse used for flour
• Coal Drops Yard used for dropping coal (reflected in the name)

Historic remnants:

• Some old rails/capstans were preserved.

Timeline:

• Remained active into the British Rail era, closing fully in the 1980s.

3) Midland Railway use of the King’s Cross goods depot (interoperability before St Pancras)

The video treats the depot as functionally “station-like” because:

• Before St Pancras existed, the Midland Railway used King’s Cross, including diversion to the goods depot when the main station was busy.

Key change:

• The Midland obtained its own terminus in 1868.

4) King’s Cross Thameslink (closed in 2007; later moved)

• Closed: 2007
• Two stations “for the price of one”: described through the history of King’s Cross Underground/Metropolitan, merging into a later Thameslink identity.

Timeline / line evolution:

• 1863: origin tied to the Metropolitan Railway (first subway line)
• Later rebuilds/reconfigurations led to what became Kings Cross Thameslink, with final completion referenced for 1988 after electrification/reconstruction work.

After 2007:

• Thameslink platforms moved under St Pancras, once St Pancras became London’s international rail terminal.

5) King’s Cross Metropolitan (Metropolitan station platforms; moved in 1940)

• Where to see it: back streets/over parapets near a bridge can hint at the station’s position; also visible from trains.
• Original idea: in the 1860s, railway companies generally wanted their own stations (less incentive for shared interchanges).
• Why it changed: by the 1930s, the stand-alone station model wasn’t working.
• Major relocation: Metropolitan platforms were moved to their current location in 1940, now part of King’s Cross St Pancras.

6) “Extended City Lines” (suburban station function; linked to Thameslink’s core later)

The video explains a plan for a second track so other companies could run trains and pay for the infrastructure.

• Name: Extended City Lines
• When: opened 1868

Later revival:

• 1970s: revival of Extended Lines plus reopening the Snow Hill Tunnel, connecting toward Blackfriars
• This became the core of Thameslink

Station closure/reopen cycle:

• 1979: King’s Cross Underground closed
• 1983: reopened after reconstruction/electrification
• 1988: renamed/fully completed as King’s Cross Thameslink

7) York Road / Great Northern Piccadilly & Brompton “York Road” tube station (closed long ago; proposals but no reopening)

• Location cue: along York Way (formerly York Road in early 20th century)
• Station name: York Road
• Opened: 1906
• Closed: 1932
• Note: it “was never particularly popular.”

Proposals:

• Ideas to reopen it were tied to freight-depot reconstruction next to it, but nothing happened.

Nearby remains:

• Fine brickwork near a bridge indicates remnants of Maiden Lane.

7.5) The “other half” Piccadilly & Brompton station (largely demolished; Piccadilly platforms still active)

• Another station directly in front of the mainline King’s Cross station
• Opened: at the same time as York Road
• Demolished: 1963
• Considered “half abandoned” because the Piccadilly line platforms are still in use.

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Final “strangest” station: Great Northern Cemetery (“station for the dead”)

• Location clue: entrance at Randalls Road and Rufford Street, leading to a cement plant
• Why it looks Victorian: the wall is from the cemetery station entrance
• What it did: transported coffins/people to New Southgate Cemetery
• Opened: 1861
• Service ceased: seemingly five years later
• Definitely abandoned by: 1874

The video compares it to the more famous Brookwood Necropolis Railway and its station at Waterloo, but claims this North London funeral station was lesser-known.

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Notable locations, products, and speakers mentioned (end list)

• Locations/places: King’s Cross, Coal Drops Yard, Canopy Market, St Pancras, Farringdon, Moorgate, Snow Hill Tunnel, Blackfriars, York Way, Randalls Road, Rufford Street, New Southgate Cemetery, Brookwood Necropolis (comparison), Waterloo, General Omnibus bus depot area
• Rail companies/lines: Great Northern Railway, Midland Railway, Metropolitan Railway (Metropolitan line), Piccadilly line, Overground (for the Maiden Lane line section), Thameslink
• Noted book/web sources: London Terminals (Alan A. Jackson), Leslie Green Underground Stations (David LeBouffe), End of the Line (Anthony K. Dorz), and Derelict Stations
• Speaker/channel cues: the creator references viewers/subscribers and thanks supporters on Coffee, Patreon, and YouTube (and mentions “donors”)