The Meeting Place -the Details

On my way to and from London, we often pass through the Victorian Gothic masterpiece which is St. Pancras Station. The featured photo shows the sight that greets us as we emerge into the open from the adjacent and much less interesting Kings Cross Station.

This time, we had a little time to mooch round St. Pancras, and I’ll share some photos another time. But today, for Patti’s Lens-Artists Challenge, I’m going to focus on the statue that I love to hate, and that greets us as we enter the station. It’s Paul Day’s The Meeting Place , and it’s been here since 2007. The design brief at the time asked for a statue that would ‘capture the spirit of romance once associated with train travel‘ and ‘be iconic like the Statue of Liberty‘. Two young lovers, one a soldier, exchange a farewell embrace. I find it cloying and sentimental: something to do with the monumental size of this essentally private moment offends me. And as for being iconic. Imagine replacing, for example, Michelangelo’s David, or indeed the Statue of Liberty with this statue. I think not. I know this is a minority opinion, so I was delighted to find this article from the Guardian, published in November 2007.

Patti wants us to home in once – twice – and focus on the details of our chosen object. So here are the faces of this young couple.

Personally, I’d sooner glimpse down to their legs and look at the architecture beyond.

The plinth beneath was added slightly later, and is a collection of rather sombre scenes about which I have managed to find out little. In particular, the subject matter of the two scenes I show here eludes me. Perhaps the second one shows the evacuation of the underground after the terror attacks on the tube on July 5th 2005. But the first?

I never expected I would ever give this couple star billing. But sometimes, when you give your focus to something you haven’t appreciated, you discover what it is that other people have enjoyed, and that you have missed. It hasn’t worked for me with this one. Ah well.

PS. WP is having a moment again. Despite repeated attempts both yesterday and just now, it won’t allow me to add tags to this post. Anybody else?

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Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

55 thoughts on “The Meeting Place -the Details”

  1. I’ve not seen it in person, Margaret, as it’s a long time since I passed by St. Pancras. I can’t say I’m inspired and I don’t know that it’s necessary to have the sculpture there. As you say, the architecture is beautiful in its own right. But taste when it comes to art…? Well, I like what I like. Happy Saturday!

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  11. Margaret, your points are expressed so well. Iconic is what got me. No, not even close. On the other hand, you found a way to turn lemons into lemonade with these photos. Great angles and details.

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      1. Yes, stations do carries memories and you’ve just reminded me. I was bringing my rescued Sheffield cat down to London for Christmas with my mother. The cat tried to escape on the platform! But my mother after Christmas wouldn’t let me take her back! She became a well loved London cat.

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  15. I don’t mind big sculpture but generally do prefer random shapes to people as the latter always seems poorly executed these days. And sadly these two people fall straight into that category – what has happened to their faces?!

    and ugh on the tag issue – didn’t have a problem with tags when I scheduled earlier in the week, but yesterday WP was doing the ‘you are not logged in’ when I attempted to leave comments on some blogs. I gave up in a huff!!

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  18. Is it really so long since I walked past St Pancras (I’m more of a Euston-Victoria man) that I haven’t seen this statue? Yes it is. I see what you mean about it being cloying and sentimental. And it certainly could not be labelled ‘iconic’ (over-used word anyway). But I kind of like it – there’s a story there and I suppose that’s the point. I need to have a look next time I’m down in the smoke! Great photos, by the way!

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    1. Thank you – yes, do look. Apart from anything else, it is in my opinion too large a piece for the available space, so it looks as though it’s somehow been nudged in against its will.

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    1. I don’t know this work, so of course I had to go and look it up. It seems to me a much more moving and thoughtful piece, leaving the viewer with something to think about. Thanks so much for itroducing it to me.

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  22. What a great post, Margaret. Sometimes a closer look at the details confirms what we thought at a distance!! I enjoyed this one a lot. I agree with you. The statue is overly sentimental and romanticized.

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  23. Excellent post, Margaret! I haven’t seen the statue, but have read about it am inclined to think you are on the right track with “But it just blocks views of one of the Victorian era’s triumphs.”…..Strikes mes not well done and a tad mawkish

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  25. What a strange statue. Odd that eye-level for the average passerby is approximately at the height of the heels of the shoes of the embracing couple. And the friezes below just seem peculiar and an attempt to be “clever”?

    Not sure why, but I keep imagining the statue made out of chocolate … potentially a melting moment …

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