Euston Arch may rise again as lost stones are recovered

Architects' Journal 21 September, 2009
by Meredith Hull

The Euston Arch Trust has revealed new plans for the forgotten landmark, including a nightclub, as lost stones are raised from an East London river

The Euston Arch, the largest Doric arch ever built, was constructed in 1837 was demolished 125 years later in 1962 despite a major public conservation battle.

Led by Dan Cruickshank in the early 1990s, a group of historians, architects and journalists founded the Euston Arch Trust following several episodes of 'One Foot in the Past' where Cruickshank tracked down the arch's remains.

During the 1994 programmes, Cruickshank discovered that many of the original arch's stones had been stored in the demolition contractor's back garden. After further investigation, more remains were discovered in the River Lea in East London where they had been used to plug a hole in the river bed. With the support of British Waterways, much of this original stone has been salvaged. The Euston Arch Trust was relaunched in 2007 after the plan for the £1 billion redevelopment of Euston station began.

The Trust has prepared plans in collaboration with engineer Alan Baxter to demonstrate how the Euston Arch, originally the size of a pair of semi detached houses can accommodate 21st century requirements, specifically a nightclub in the basement and banquet hall in the roof, whilst retaining its original outward appearance (see image above).

The site of the original arch is beneath the current station, so a new site on Euston Road has been proposed. The Arch would fit in between two stone lodges that have survived from the original Victorian station.