The Cross was a nightclub in York Way, Coal Drops Goods Yard, King's Cross, London, England between 1993 and 2007, [1] closing on New Year's Day 2008. [2]
The club was started [3] [4] by Billy Reilly and Keith Reilly (the subsequent founder of Fabric), who had originally wanted to open a pre-club drinks bar next to Bagleys nightclub. Camden Council however granted the Reilly brothers a full dance licence and they started hosting club events at the Cross. [5] [6]
The Cross was known for long-running monthly promoter residencies, such as Glitterati, the Italian-themed Vertigo and progressive house club night Renaissance. It went on to house two of its most successful residencies Serious & the funky-house-themed Dusted, run by Judge Jules' brother Sam. DJs such as Danny Rampling, Dave Seaman, Ian Ossia, Nigel Dawson, Norman Jay and Judge Jules becoming resident. Paul van Dyk, BT and Tiësto performed there before the height of their fame
The building consisted of a series of refurbished railway arches with connecting corridors and an outdoor terrace. Comprising different dance areas as well as a VIP room and bars. The bar counters were made of steel and frosted glass and the outside terrace area had cobble-stones, palm trees, couches and day-beds.
By 2008 The Cross' famous Bagley Walk Arches, Coal Drops Yard site had been listed for re-development and club closed. [7]
The site was taken on with the iconic arches left intact by the famous British designer and former club impresario Tom Dixon for his London offices, Showroom, and restaurant which are open to the public. [8]
Looking back over the club's history in 2008, Billy Reilly commented:
The Cross reopened as a pub on 9 September 2022, close to the site of the club. [10] Owned by original founder Billy Reilly, Managing Director Gemma Reilly commented:
"As well as a rooftop bar, a lounge and a restaurant, the new spot will include a club in the basement. "The Cross has grown up," Gemma told Camdenist. "The new venue brings some of the heritage and nostalgia elements, in that it's still right here in King's Cross [and] the club was six arches and now its six floors, but we're also making sure that we're getting the best quality marble fittings and designer upholstery throughout. Nothing too flashy, in keeping with the low-key feel of the original, but I really think London is crying out for something like this: a place where you can go to drink, dine and dance." [10]
Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town. Less than four miles north of central London, Kentish Town has good transport connections and is situated close to the open spaces of Hampstead Heath.
St Pancras is a district in central London. It was originally a medieval ancient parish and subsequently became a metropolitan borough. The metropolitan borough then merged with neighbouring boroughs and the area it covered now forms around half of the modern London Borough of Camden. The area of the parish and borough includes the sub-districts of Camden Town, Kentish Town, Gospel Oak, Somers Town, King's Cross, Chalk Farm, Dartmouth Park, the core area of Fitzrovia and a part of Highgate.
King's Cross is a district in the London Boroughs of Camden and Islington, located on either side of Euston Road, in the outskirts of north London and central London, England, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Charing Cross. It is bordered by Barnsbury to the north, Clerkenwell to the southeast, Angel to the east, Holborn and Bloomsbury to the south, Euston to the west and Camden Town to the northwest. It is served by two major rail termini, St Pancras and King's Cross. King's Cross station is the terminus of one of the major rail routes between London and the North.
Camden Town, often shortened to Camden, is an area in the London Borough of Camden, around 2.5 miles (4.1 km) north-northwest of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is identified in the London Plan as one of 34 major centres in Greater London.
Edgware Road is a major road in London, England. The route originated as part of Roman Watling Street and, unusually in London, it runs for 10 miles (16 km) in an almost perfectly straight line. Forming part of the modern A5 road, Edgware Road undergoes several name changes along its length, including Maida Vale, Kilburn High Road, Shoot Up Hill and Cricklewood Broadway; but the road is, as a whole, known as the Edgware Road, as it is the road to Edgware.
Kentish Town is an interchange station located in Kentish Town in the London Borough of Camden for London Underground and National Rail services.
Holborn and St Pancras is a parliamentary constituency in Greater London that was created in 1983. It has been represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2015 by Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister since 2024 and Leader of the Labour Party since 2020.
Fabric is a nightclub in Farringdon, London, England. Founded in 1999 on Charterhouse Street opposite Smithfield Market, the club was voted World Number 1 Club in DJ Magazine's "Top 100 Clubs Poll" in 2007 and 2008 and ranked World Number 2 in 2009, 2010 and 2017.
Heaven is a gay superclub in Charing Cross, London, England. It has played a central role and had a major influence in the development of London's LGBT scene for over 40 years and is home to long-running gay night G-A-Y. The club is known for Paul Oakenfold's acid house events in the 1980s, the underground nightclub festival Megatripolis, and for being the birthplace of ambient house.
King's Cross Central (KXC) is a mixed-use development in the north-east of central London. The site is owned and controlled by the King's Cross Central Limited Partnership. It consists of approximately 67 acres (27 ha) of former railway lands to the north of King's Cross and St Pancras mainline railway stations. The site is largely determined by three boundaries: the existing East Coast Main Line railway leading out of King's Cross; York Way, a road marking the division between Camden and Islington boroughs; and the new railway line, High Speed 1 (HS1), formerly known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, which curves around the site to the north and west.
York Way is a major road in the London Borough of Islington, running north for one mile from the junction of Pentonville Road and Euston Road, adjacent to King's Cross railway station towards Kentish Town and Holloway. At its northern end, the road becomes Brecknock Road. For its entire length York Way forms the boundary between the London Boroughs of Islington and Camden.
Ariel Belloso is an Argentine, UK-based DJ and record producer. He began his career playing new wave and disco music at clubs in the city of Rosario during the early 1980s, later in Buenos Aires; and moved to London in 1991, after spending 8 months in Ibiza, where he was influenced by the early house and acid house sounds.
XXL was a gay nightclub in London and Birmingham which catered to the bear sub-group. The club was founded by Mark Ames and his then partner David Dindol in 2000. They separated in 2005, after which Mark purchased his ex-partner's share of the club. It was the largest dedicated "bear" venue in the United Kingdom and the world. It was not just the bear scene's longest-running weekly disco but London's too, having not missed a night in over 16 years.
Matter was a London music venue and nightclub that opened in September 2008. A 2,600 capacity live music venue and nightclub, it was the second project for owners Cameron Leslie and Keith Reilly, founders of the London club Fabric. Matter was the third venue to open at The O2 in south-east London.
A nightclub is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discothèque with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who mixes recorded music. Nightclubs tend to be smaller than live music venues like theatres and stadiums, with few or no seats for customers.
Haverstock is an area of the London Borough of Camden: specifically the east of Belsize Park, north of Chalk Farm and west of Kentish Town. It is centred on Queens Crescent and Malden Road. Gospel Oak is to the north, Camden Town to the south.
The London Borough of Camden was created in 1965 from the former area of the metropolitan boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and St Pancras, which had formed part of the County of London. The borough was named after Camden Town, which had gained its name from Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden in 1795. Since the 17th century, many famous people have lived in its various districts and neighbourhoods.
The London Borough of Camden is a London borough in Inner London, England. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies 1.4 mi (2.3 km) north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 and includes the former Central London borough of Holborn, and St Pancras and Hampstead.
Camden Town Brewery is a Camden, London-based brewery founded in 2010, and owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev since 2015.
Coal Drops Yard is a shopping complex and privately owned public space that forms part of the King's Cross Central development scheme in London, England. The development was designed by Thomas Heatherwick and opened in October 2018.