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Euston Commercial Office Property to Rent & Serviced Offices to Let in Euston, London, NW1

The Euston area lies within the inner city London Borough of Camden and is informally described as the streets that surround Euston Main railway station also known as London Euston and the London Underground Stations Euston to which it is connected and the nearby Euston Square.  London Euston is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London (by entries and exits) and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line.    Euston is the main rail gateway from London to the West Midlands; the North West; North Wales and Scotland.  It also operates overground commuter services to and from Watford Junction taking in various local stations in North West London.

The original Euston Main line station opened in July 1837, as the terminus of the London and Birmingham Railway and was the first inter city railway station to be built in London.    Constructed by William Cubitt and designed by a well-known classically trained architect, Philip Hardwick with a 200-ft (61 m) long train shed by structural engineer Charles Fox.    At the outset, it had only two platforms, one for departures and one for arrivals. Hardwick also designed the 72 ft (22 m) high Doric entrance the largest ever built and which was erected at the station's entrance to serve as a portico.   This became renowned as the Euston Arch.   Stephenson's original plan was to route the railway through north London so that it terminated where Kings Cross station currently stands, but nimbyism was alive and well and after encountering severe opposition from landowners, he was forced to build the railway through Tring, Watford and Harrow to terminate at its present site at Euston.  In addition, until 1844 trains were pulled up the incline to Camden Town by cables because the London and Birmingham Railway's Act of Parliament prohibited the use of locomotives in the Euston area - this prohibition said to have been at the request of Lord Southampton who owned land bordering this section of the line.

The station grew rapidly over the following years as traffic increased and was greatly expanded in the 1840s, with the opening in 1849 of the spectacular Great Hall with a coffered ceiling and a sweeping double flight of stairs leading to offices at the northern end of the hall. The station was further from Euston Road than the front of the modern complex; it was on Drummond Street, which now terminates at the side of the station, but then ran all the way across the front of it. A short road called Euston Grove ran from Euston Square towards the arch. Two hotels, the Euston Hotel and the Victoria Hotel, flanked the northern half of this approach. 

However, in the early 1960s it was decided that the old building was no longer adequate and needed replacing. Amid much public outcry, the old station building (including the famous Euston Arch) was demolished.  Apart from the lodges on Euston Road and statues now on the forecourt, few relics of the old station survive.  This is regarded as "one of the greatest acts of Post-War architectural vandalism in Britain"   The attempts made to preserve the earlier building, championed by the then Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman  led to the formation of The Victorian Society and heralded in the modern conservation movement. However, the loss of Euston may have saved the nearby high gothic St Pancras Station when similarly faced with demolition in 1966 as the actions of this conservationist movement ultimately led to it being renovated in 2007 as the terminus for Eurostar.

The new Euston Station opened in 1968 - its opening coinciding with the electrification of the West Coast Main Line.  The new structure was a deliberate intent to symbolise the coming of the "electric age".   While not of a design that many people find attractive, Euston successfully handles an intensive train service and a high volume of passengers while providing extensive facilities. The station contains a wide range of catering units and shops, a large ticket hall and, despite a central London location, an enclosed car park with over 200 spaces.  Euston's bleak 1960s style of architecture has been variously described as "hideous", "a dingy, grey, horizontal nothingness" and a reflection of "the tawdry glamour of its time" entirely lacking of "the sense of occasion, of adventure, that the great Victorian termini gave to the traveller".

The present station is served by four rail companies and has 18 platforms. Two of the platforms have extra length, in order to accommodate the 16-car Caledonian Sleeper services. Ownership of the station and lines moved to London and North Western Railway (1846–1922), the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (1923–1947), British Rail (1948–1994), Railtrack (1994–2001) and Network Rail (2001–present).   In 2005, Network Rail was reported to have long-term aspirations to redevelop the station, removing the 1960s buildings and providing additional commercial space by utilising the air rights above the platforms. 

In 2007, a tender was won to demolish the existing 40 year old building and rebuild the terminal. More than 5 years after Network Rail announced its modernisation scheme for Euston Station, no development agreement with preferred developer has been signed. Neither has a master plan been produced by the joint team.   The project management to the Euston Estate Limited Partnership launched a Vision Masterplan in May 2008 with the aim to stimulate debate about the future of Euston Station and the surrounding neighbourhood committing themselves to a comprehensive redevelopment of the station and the Euston Estate resulting in a redesign of the public spaces and public realm and ultimately, a better Euston for those living, working and passing through the area. This aim is entirely in line with Camden’s published planning policy guidelines and Transport for London’s requirement for a comprehensive scheme to obtain a world-class terminus and the complete reorganisation of the interchange facility for taxis, buses and the underground.  In addition in March 2010 it was announced that Euston was the preferred southern terminus of the new High Speed 2 line to Birmingham and the north.

The immediate area is served by two London Underground stations – Euston and the nearby Euston Square.  Other stations are within walking distance and include Kings Cross and its main line station; St Pancras; Great Portland Street and Warren Street.   There is also a complex network of buses both local and cross London, many of which terminate at the front of the main line station.

Although Euston is centred on the three stations the area has been subject to a great deal of commercial development both corporate and professional, and there are plans for major further redevelopment, its location and access to transport links makes it a sought after area for all office requirements. The area has much to offer in terms of location and facilities including many flexible serviced offices; offices to let and state of the art virtual offices. For help in securing the most competitively priced deal on office space to rent in this vibrant special area in West London or commercial offices in this prime London location, in the first instance please contact your local commercial property expert http://www.freeofficesearch.co.uk or telephone us free on 0800 0710 710.