St Pancras Gardens

St Pancras Gardens is a public garden in the London Borough of Camden, a short walk from St Pancras and King's Cross stations. Covering roughly two hectares, it was created from a former churchyard. Today it is a quiet green space where history, literature and architecture sit side by side.

What are St Pancras Gardens?

The site combines the old churchyard of St Pancras Old Church with the neighbouring burial ground of St Giles-in-the-Fields. After the Burial Acts of the mid-nineteenth century ended interments, the land was gradually laid out as a public garden. Headstones, paths and mature trees remain, so the place keeps a strongly historic feel.

What is worth seeing?

The Soane family tomb

The best-known monument is a Portland stone tomb designed by the architect Sir John Soane after his wife died in 1815. It was erected in 1816. Its distinctive dome is often linked to Giles Gilbert Scott's design for the red K2 telephone box, although that connection is described as a claim rather than established fact. The tomb was restored in the late 1990s and again in the early 2000s, as part of the restoration of the gardens.

The Hardy Tree

When a railway was built nearby, gravestones had to be moved. Around the roots of an ash tree, known as the Hardy Tree, old headstones are stacked in a circle. The name refers to Thomas Hardy, later a novelist and poet, who as a young man is said to have supervised the clearing of graves. Sources differ on the dates, and the tree itself has suffered from disease.

Notable burials

Johann Christian Bach, the youngest son of Johann Sebastian, was buried here after his death in 1782. William Godwin and his two wives are also interred here, including Mary Wollstonecraft, author of a pioneering work on women's rights. A popular story says Percy Shelley declared his feelings here to Godwin's daughter, Mary.

Fountain and sundial

A memorial fountain and sundial from 1877, given by the Burdett-Coutts family, is one of the Victorian features of the gardens.

Planning a visit

The gardens are a few minutes on foot from St Pancras International and King's Cross, so they fit easily into a walk around this part of London. Entry is free. A visit usually takes thirty minutes to an hour, depending on how long you linger by the tombs and plaques. Next door stands St Pancras Old Church, one of the oldest Christian sites in the area.

Frequently asked questions

Is admission free? Yes, the gardens are public and free to enter.

What is the main attraction? The Soane tomb, the ring of gravestones around the Hardy Tree, and the graves of Bach, Godwin and Wollstonecraft.

Is it still a working cemetery? No, burials ended in the nineteenth century and the site now serves as a garden.

How long does a visit take? Usually 30 to 60 minutes.

Is it convenient for the stations? Yes, it sits right beside St Pancras and King's Cross, making it a good short stop between trains.