Ralf Little by the canal in King’s Cross
(Picture: Daniel Hambury/Stella Pictures L)Twenty years ago I did a promotional shoot in Kings Cross for the first series of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. We were after somewhere industrial, grey and a bit run down, so we ended up at the canal. Back then, it felt like a wasteland.
Now it’s this extraordinary, vibrant area. I moved to a flat here last year after 17 years in the same Victorian three-bed in Shepherd’s Bush. I spend half the year in the Carribean filming Death in Paradise, so decided it was time to live more minimally.
I’m right in the middle of this cultural centre and couldn’t be happier.
Best eating and drinking
There are good chains like Barrafina and Caravan, but also these great restaurants that have been here for 20 years.
My all-time favourite Thai, Ersarn Kheaw, almost stopped me leaving Shepherd’s Bush, but Paolina Thai Cafe on King’s Cross Road comes a very close second.
The King Charles I on Northdown Street is the most charming Victorian pub – the kind that Americans walk into and go, ‘oh my god, this is England’.
I’m not cultured enough to enjoy all the ales, but it’s brilliant for a straightforward old school pint. If you don’t want a quiet one in the King Charles I, Supermax is great for some cheesy dance floorfillers. It’s the sister bar to Spiritland.
Grocery shopping
It has everything really, whether that’s local essentials, specialty ingredients or street food. There’s a very fancy Waitrose next to Granary Square, but I can still whip up a good meal from the Tesco Express two minutes away. I’m a foodie but also very lazy.
If farmers markets are your thing, there’s Canopy Market from Friday to Sunday for wine, cheeses and fresh produce grown outside the city.
Where I work out
I’ve always played football to stay fit, but I’m now at the age where I have to stay fit to play football. I’m part of a game at the Emirates Stadium’s indoor hub with a lot of people from my industry. You’ll turn up and play against Angus Deaton or David Baddiel. Clive Anderson usually nicks a few goals – he’s a bit of a poacher. It’s good fun.
In the last few years I’ve become quite a regular gym goer, but I haven’t settled on a local one yet. I travel a lot for work, so memberships are tricky and I’ve bounced around a fair few over the years. I did an intense twelve-week course at Evolve Fitness in Spitalfields once, and then completely reverted to type.
Culture fix
Kings Cross has become this magnet for arts and culture. You’ve got Central St Martins on Granary Square, Tom Dixon’s design studio in Coal Drops Yard and there’s often an exhibition to wander around. It’s not this big outdoor mall, but a blend of retail and culture. There’s also an amazing Everyman cinema.
To commune with nature
Regents Park is really just round the corner, but there’s lots of little pockets of green space.
When the gasholders were renovated, they moved the skeleton of one of the structures and created Gasholder Park, which has this circular lawn with lots of sculptures.
The canal has been all cleaned up, and there’s so much wildlife around there now.
I can get my football fix at the pitches at Market Road, but I’d like to get a dog when life allows – I’m a recently-converted dog lover.
Getting around…
One of the best things about living in Kings Cross is that it’s a transport hub, so any direction is easy – plus Paris in just over two hours is always a nice option to have. I try to get around on foot but if I’m in a rush I’ll hop on one of the e-bikes or scooters.
Dream street
Keystone Crescent is a fantastic piece of living London history. Said to have the smallest radius of any crescent in Europe, it’s a beautiful little Victorian street tucked just seconds from the station. It encapsulates everything I love about Kings Cross and London as a whole, with the old and the new side by side.
Something you only see in Kings Cross
The Gasholders are a completely unique part of the landscape and reflect the industrial history of the area repurposed into something new, rather than just bulldozed away for a soulless identikit building. I love that somebody had the vision to turn them into living spaces.
What’s the catch?
It can be a bit noisy or bustling when you want some peace and quiet. That said, if you know where to look, there are definitely places where you can find that too.
In three words
Historic. Modern. Vibrant.
Schools
Abacus Belsize Primary School has been rated outstanding by Ofsted, while Kings Cross Academy, Copenhagen Primary School and Winton Primary School are good. Towards Angel, Elizabeth Garrett is an outstanding secondary school.
