German Gymnasium, London

The German Gymnasium is located at 1 Kings Boulevard (formerly 26 Pancras Road), London close to the new international railway station of St Pancras. It was constructed in 1864–65 for the German Gymnastics Society, a sporting association established in London in 1861 by Ernst Ravenstein. The National Olympian Association used the Gymnasium as one of the venues for its first ever Games here in 1866, shortly after the German Gymnasium was opened.[1]

Laminated roof timbers showing cast iron fillets and supporting brickwork.
German Gymnasium, London from the west end.
Medal for the opening of the London German Gymnasium on 28 January 1865.

Designed by Edward A. Gruning and built by Piper and Wheeler, the German Gymnasium is a ​2 1⁄2-story multi-coloured stock brick building with a roof constructed from laminated wood trusses with cast iron fillets. The roof is an important early example of the use of laminated timber to give broad spans. The roof trusses – some 20m wide – are as experimented with but replaced at nearby King's Cross Station. Part of the western end of the building was lost to make way for the construction of the new international rail terminal of St Pancras. A new end wall has been created in keeping with the rest of the structure.

The building has been listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England since January 1976.[2]

Nearby Tube Stations

References
  1. Camden Council news item from June 2005
  2. Historic England, "26 Pancras Road (1113243)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 20 July 2020

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