North London Food & Culture

What’s on Sian Pattenden’s latest cultural map?

This handy illustration to all things King's Cross graced the cover of our new title Gasholder. And now a limited edition run is yours to own

Gasholder presents a King's Cross Cultural Map by Sian Pattenden
Gasholder presents… a King’s Cross Cultural Map by Sian Pattenden

Last year, Gospel Oak-based artist Sian Pattenden created two beautiful hand-drawn maps for us: one was of eclectic thoroughfare Prince of Wales Road, the other a best-selling cultural map of the whole area.

So it made sense to ask her to design the front cover of the first ever print issue of our new King’s Cross-focused title, Gasholder.

“It’s rapacious and corpulent,” she writes in a column on the area, “but has an edge, that overused term. Maybe it’s kept in line by the vast swathes of Somers Town and its estates which breathe cigarette smoke over the salarymen.”

Peer closely at Sian’s work and you’ll see verdant oasis Camley Street Natural Park nestling near restaurant-ville Granary Square; and locals’ fave Chalton Street Market rubbing shoulders with characterful boozer the Somerstown Coffee House. There are also arts venues like the Gagosian and King’s Place that you may not yet have visited. So hopefully it’s useful, too.


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What on earth is a gas holder, anyway?

Pretty in pink: the new gas holder by the canalside park.
Pretty in pink: the new gas holder by the canalside park.

We called our title Gasholder simply because the iconic structures have been KX residents for over 150 years. Originally constructed by the Imperial Gas Light and Coke Company, the canalside edifices formed part of what was then the largest gasworks in the world.

Launch issue cover of Gasholder
Launch issue cover of Gasholder

Of 23 frames, nine were large, and seven remained until the construction of the high-speed rail link. All but one – Gasholder No.8 – were taken down until it too was dismantled in 2011.

But happily it returned last year, re-erected on the north side of Regent’s Canal overlooking Camley Street Natural Park and St Pancras Basin, the site of a brand new park and cultural space being unveiled next year.

Meanwhile, gasholders Nos 10, 11 and 12, known as the Siamese Triplet because their decorative frames are joined by a common spine, will be re-erected shortly too.

Read Sian’s essay on King’s Cross over on Gasholder here. And, if you fancy owning a rather lovely limited edition print, why not head to our online shop?

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The award-winning print and online title Kentishtowner was founded in 2010 and is part of London Belongs To Me, a citywide network of travel guides for locals. For more info on what we write about and why, see our About section.