Euston, King's Cross and St Pancras: things to do for free

Cool things to do when waiting for a train in London

Recently I turned up outside Euston Station 45 minutes early for my train.  Rather than hang around the station I spotted the Wellcome Collection across Euston Road and decided to pop in for a quick look around.

Their collections of medical / science related displays are free to visit so it is a great place to nip in for a quick half hour.

Somewhere in Between is a free exhibition at the Wellcome Collection until 27th August.  It brings together four different contemporary artists who have collaborated with scientists to look at food, our senses, sexual health and our physical limitations.  The artists are Martina Amati, Daria Martin, Maria McKinney and John Walter.

I had enough time to visit Martina Amati's installation called Under which took me on an underwater experience of free diving.  Three films, Depth, Distance and Time show how free diving is measured and I learned that, incredibly, the longest time someone has ever spent underwater on a free dive (without air) is over 11 minutes! All of the films were shot and performed on a single breath of air.  I found it mesmerising and beautiful, enveloped in the blue surroundings of the sea from the screens around me, watching the divers slowly move lower in the water or stay still to remain there longer.

I skipped the Alien Sex Club maze exhibit (John Walter) but managed to spend a little time in Daria Martin's Sensorium Tests and At the Threshold which introduced me to a neurological condition called mirror-touch synaesthesia.  This is where the person experiences the sense of touch that they observe in others, as if it was happening to them, both painful and pleasurable.  

The installation that inspired me to take some photos was looking at how we use genetics to change how our cattle provide food for us.

Improving milk production, evolution of AI straws

Corn weaving of straw and AI straws

The Sire exhibit by Maria McKinney was quite whacky! She explores how cattle are bred for certain characteristics such as being hornless, or having extra muscle growth.  She has created sculptures by weaving artifical insemination (AI) straws into shapes representing the ideal characteristic of the cattle and then photographed such cattle wearing these sculptures on their backs. It is quite bizarre, but made me think more deeply about our relationship with the meat and milk we consume.

Horns sculpture made with woven AI straws

Breeding to be hornless, therefore easy to manage

I still had a few minutes to spare so I ventured upstairs to the more permanent collections and saw some quite startling exhibits in the Medicine Now exhibition, including a sliced through section of a real body showing our anatomy in its true detail.  A mum was carefully explaining all this to her young son who didn't seem at all concerned, although it disturbed me I must admit.   

On previous visits to London I have had to change trains from Euston to St Pancras and usually walked down Euston Road rather than go on the tube.  This walk takes you past the British Library, which is next door to the stations, and this is another fantastic place to while away a half hour or so while waiting for a train from either King's Cross or St Pancras stations.  On a nice day just sitting outside the cafe in the courtyard next to the Newton sculpture is appealing.  

Newton - Sculpture by  Eduardo Paolozzi

On a cooler / wetter day venture inside and you will find some amazing items on display, such as the original Magna Carta, Leonardo Da Vinci's notes or Beethoven's annotated music sheets.  Head for the Treasures of the British Library collection.  This is also free to visit and well worthwhile.  Just keep an eye on the time, it is really easy to get so engrossed in the amazing treasures around you that you might just miss your train!

The gates to the British Library