Coal Drops Yard: Creating physical retail from an industrial past

For retail to survive in an increasingly online world, it has to create a need for it to deliver a physical experience. And while logistics may be stealing some investment away from physical retail, there is a new high street in London that has embraced its industrial past to curate what looks set to be one of the capital’s most interesting retail destinations. Argent’s Coal Drops Yard, which opened today, has transformed two former industrial warehouses into a collection of 50 shops and restaurants. The architect behind the scheme, Thomas Heatherwick, has kept memories of the old uses of the space alive, with the retention of much of the Victorian ironwork as well as using slate from the quarry that once supplied the coal stored at the site for the “kissing roofs” on the scheme. “These amazing Victorian structures were never originally built to be inhabited by hundreds of people, but instead formed part of the sealed-off infrastructure of London,” said Heatherwick. “After they have served so many varied uses throughout the years, we have been excited by the opportunity to use our design thinking to finally open up the site, create new spaces and allow everyone to experience these rich and characterful buildings.” Anna Strongman, the Argent partner in charge of the Coal Drops Yard project, said: “Coal Drops Yard is an amazing achievement, a bold vision delivered by a dedicated team with a diverse set of skills. This diversity will be mirrored in those who visit – Coal Drops Yard has something for everyone, and will always offer a reason to return. It is an extremely complex project, one that unites the area’s heritage with Heatherwick Studio’s progressive architecture, creating stimulating spaces for both the brands and the people that will bring these buildings back to life. [caption id="attachment_951158" align="alignnone" width="847"] © Luke Hayes[/caption] “Coal Drops Yard will be a vital part of the King’s Cross experience, and we thoroughly look forward to welcoming the public to discover it.” Coal Drops Yard was originally established in 1850 to handle the 8m tonnes of coal delivered to the capital each year, and was latterly the location of nightclubs Bagley’s and The Cross. No space at Coal Drops Yard is the same. Stores and restaurants are located in canal-side arches fronting on to cobbled courtyards, within the original “coal drops” themselves and across a series of raised iron viaducts. Space has also been developed for a range of retailers at different stages of their growth, with smaller pop-up stores available on lower Stable Street with flexible leases from as short as three months up to three years. [caption id="attachment_951159" align="alignnone" width="847"] © John Sturrock[/caption] Tenants across the development include Aesop, Barrafina, Caravane, Emin & Paul, Fred Perry, Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse, Manifesto, Outsiders Store, Paul Smith, Samsung, Tom Dixon, Tracey Neuls and Wolf & Badger. Main image: © Hufton+Crow To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@egi.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @estatesgazette