The large Gothic building in front of St Pancras is not, in fact, the station but the Midland Grand Hotel. When it opened its doors in 1873, it was one of the most advanced hotels in the world. It was the first building in London to have a ‘rising room’, or lift, and the first to have revolving doors. It had a Ladies’ Smoking Room, which was quite shocking in its day. There were laundry lifts, coal lifts, and speaking tubes to send instructions to the staff. The Victorian decoration was rich and expensive, but the hotel was built with old-fashioned plumbing. There were 300 bedrooms but only nine bathrooms. People took a bath in a tub in their bedroom. The hotel closed in 1935. Its facilities were outdated, and it was too expensive to run.
It is now known as St Pancras Chambers. There is a 245-bedroom, five-star luxury hotel, with every comfort and modern amenity, and 68 private apartments and penthouses on the upper floors.