The Meeting Place is a 30ft high bronze sculpture weighing 20 tonnes. If you go to London St Pancras International Railway Station and come up to track level you can’t miss it. The statue was designed by British artist Paul Day and revealed in 2007. It is located at the south end of the station and evokes the romance of travel through the depiction of a couple locked in an amorous embrace. Perhaps a welcoming or a departure for a loved who has or is about to travel. Commissioned by London and Continental Railways is modelled on the sculptor and his wife.

Did the idea come from a WW2 photograph?

I can’t help thinking that the idea for the pose in St Pancras came from the photograph taken in Times Square New York in 1945 on VJ Day. Captured by Alfred Eisenstaedt, it was published in Life in 1945 with the caption, “In New York’s Times Square a white-clad girl clutches her purse and skirt as an uninhibited sailor plants his lips squarely on hers”

Around the base of the statue in St Pancras is a further collection of scenes. Like it or not, it is certainly a striking addition to the architecture of the station. There is also a statue of John Betjeman nearby too. Next time you go to St Pancras to meet friends, meet them at The Meeting Place!