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Map work exercises, geology, supplementary material
St. Pancras Old Church & Garden: An Educational Resource
This resource for schools is designed to support teaching and learning about rocks and weathering for the following:
- Science at Key Stages 3 and 4
- Geography at GCSE and AS level
Additional information about the people buried here and some of the places associated with them provide additional interest and value to the visit.
Comments and suggestions: We welcome your comments and would be pleased to be advised of any inaccuracies. Please contact Dr. Wendy Kirk, Department of Earth Sciences, University College London.
This resource has been researched and designed by Frances Cooper, Department of Earth Sciences, University College London. We are grateful to the Friends of UCL for supporting this venture.
Key references used in discussing gravestone weathering in this resource are given at the end of that section rather than within the text.
- Introduction and Access
Although the early history of St Pancras Old Church is sketchy, it is thought that a church has existed on the site since 313 or 314 AD.
Sections of Norman masonry and a scattering of Roman bricks and tiles give some indication as to the history of the Church. However, much rebuilding and restoration have obscured any view of the past.
In 1822 all parochial rights were transferred to the new parish church in Euston Road, leaving the Old Church to become a Chapel of Ease and gradually fall into disuse.
By 1847 the Church was derelict and virtually in ruins, but as the local population grew it was decided to restore and enlarge it. Since then there have been a number of restorations, particularly in 1948 following war time bomb damage.
St Pancras Gardens has itself only recently been restored by the Heritage Lottery Fund. A number of noteworthy people are buried there, including John Soane, JC Bach and John Flaxman.
The gravestones within the graveyard are also of great interest to the geologist, covering rock types from Granite to Greensand.
For more information on St Pancras Old Church and the martyr St Pancras visit the official St Pancras Old Church website.
How to get there
On the London Underground
The church is situated near to the Northern, Victoria, Piccadilly, Hammersmith & City, Circle and Metropolitan lines, at Kings Cross St Pancras and Mornington Crescent stations.
From Kings Cross walk up Pancras Way, under the railway bridge and continue for approximately 100 metres. The church is on the right hand side of the road.
From Mornington Crescent, turn right on exiting the tube, and right again onto Crowndale Road. Continue until you see the church on your left, just past St Pancras Hospital.By road
It is easiest to approach the area from the East. Turn off the Euston Road onto Midland Road, just after the British Library. This leads onto Pancras Road where you will see the church on the right hand side.
Disclaimer
The information contained on this website is believed to be correct at the time of posting. If you find that anything has changed in such a way as to affect the exercises provided here, please let us know.
University College London cannot accept responsibility for any consequences of the use or misuse of the information contained herein.Access
St Pancras Gardens is maintained by Camden Council and access is freely available to the general public. Please bear in mind, however, that due to current engineering work at St Pancras Station, roads in the vicinity may be closed. Please ensure that you check the accessibility prior to your visit.
Behaviour
This is a burial ground, so please ensure that pupils behave respectfully at all times. St Pancras Hospital buildings surround the graveyard, so keep noise and disturbance to a minimum.
Please take great care to ensure that no damage is caused to any of the gravestones, especially when measuring raised lettering or examining fossils.Hazards
St Pancras Gardens is a self-contained fenced area, allowing pupils to work in a safe environment. However, surrounding roads may be very busy, so please ensure that pupils remain inside the grounds.
In addition, please be aware that major construction work is currently in progress adjacent to the graveyard as part of the St Pancras Station development. We have constructed these exercises so that possible hazards are minimized.
Exercises
Gravestone Geology Exercises
Gravestone Weathering Exercises
The Pupil Worksheets are in the form of Adobe Portable Document Format (pdf) files. Adobe Acrobat PDF reader can be downloaded for free.
