King's I: If you'd been standing on this spot 300 years ago, in front of the modern electronic departure board at King's Cross station, you'd have got your feet wet. The River Fleet flowed through what is now the main ticket hall, and still flows underneath through the Fleet Sewer. King's II: This part of London was originally called Battlebridge (1705 map here, 1786 map here). The bridge in question spanned the River Fleet at the northern end of Gray's Inn Road, while the 'battle' is said to be the final defeat of Queen Boudicca (chief warrior the Iceni tribe) who burnt 1st century Roman London to the ground. The legend that she is buried somewhere beneath one of the station's platforms is almost certainly untrue, however. King's III: King's Cross might still be called Battlebridge had King George IV not died in 1830. An ugly monument was erected in his memory close to the turnpike where the bridge had once stood, but proved so unpopular that it was demolished six years later. However, it was during this six year window that the Great Northern Railway announced the name of their new London terminus - King's Cross - and the name has stuck ever since. King's IV: King's Cross station was built on the site of a former smallpox and fever hospital (which you can see in this 1830 map). King's V: The Great NorthernHotel was built inbetween King's Cross and St Pancras in the 1850s to serve travellers passing through both stations, and its smart curved frontage follows the banks of the old River Fleet (aerial model shot here) King's VI: An incredibly complicated warren of stairs, tunnels and subways is being constructed beneath King's Cross station as part of the redevelopment of the station, often resulting in lengthy subterranean detours for commuters. Construction of the underground passageway to the new 'Northern Hotel Stairs' required the modification of the crown of the old Fleet Sewer. I hope they finish soon - it's a right mess down there. Latest updates here. King's VII: Above ground King's Cross mainline station is due to undergo a £400mrevamp over the next few years, including roof repairs, a new concourse, a restored façade and the creation of a huge open piazza in front of the station. King's VIII: Classic Ealing Studios film The Ladykillers was filmed 50 years ago in the rundown Victorian backstreets behind King's Cross station. With all this regeneration going on, there's not much of this area still to be seen. See the location then and now - here and here. King's IX: JK Rowling slipped up when she launched the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross platform 9¾. Platforms 9 and 10 are to be found in the ugly modern annexe - not the old Victorian station - and they're separated by two railway tracks - not a pillared wall. It turns out that JK forgot to do her research properly and was thinking about Euston station instead. Helpful KX station managers have erected a fake Platform 9¾ sign on a nearby out-of-the-way wall, however, and tourists can frequently be discovered here pretending to push a trolley through the brick wall. King's X: King's Cross has never ever been an upmarket part of the capital, bedevilled for the last two centuries by slums, factories and prostitutes. Current clean-upplans aim to change all this, and by 2015 the area should have been reborn as metrosexual office nirvana "King's CrossCentral". I bet it'll be bland, soul-free and latté-infested, so visit now while (some) character remains.
Reviewing the Fleet
King's I: If you'd been standing on this spot 300 years ago, in front of the modern electronic departure board at King's Cross station, you'd have got your feet wet. The River Fleet flowed through what is now the main ticket hall, and still flows underneath through the Fleet Sewer.
King's VI: An incredibly complicated warren of stairs, tunnels and subways is being constructed beneath King's Cross station as part of the redevelopment of the station, often resulting in lengthy subterranean detours for commuters. Construction of the underground passageway to the new 'Northern Hotel Stairs' required the modification of the crown of the old Fleet Sewer. I hope they finish soon - it's a right mess down there. Latest updates here.
Reviewing the Fleet
King's I: If you'd been standing on 
King's VI: An incredibly complicated warren of stairs, tunnels and subways is being constructed beneath King's Cross station as part of the redevelopment of the station, often resulting in lengthy subterranean detours for commuters. Construction of the underground passageway to the new 'Northern Hotel Stairs' required the modification of the crown of the old Fleet Sewer. I hope they finish soon - it's a right mess down there. Latest updates 