Client: Costain
Type of works: design and manufacture of new rainwater products which reproduced the patterns of the original Victorian rainwater goods.

Alumasc was invited by Costain to become involved with the refurbishment of the Grade I listed St Pancras International train station. Alumasc's reputation for bespoke manufacture and technical expertise, coupled with the ability to manufacture the high-performance and long-life cast-iron products that were required, ensured that a successful project was achieved.

Existing rainwater systems, despite being almost 150 years old, were still in use. As part of the redevelopment project, English Heritage insisted that any new rainwater details must faithfully reproduce the original patterns of the Victorian rainwater goods used when the station was first built. Indeed they insisted on the right to approve all products prior to installation and samples were made for them to inspect. All products were also to be painted to match the original Victorian colour.

Downpipes and ears
An ornate basket-weave effect was used on the downpipe sockets and Alumasc created a unique pattern to match the existing products and produce the final pipe. Each of the three sizes of downpipes and sockets also featured a channel on the reverse of the pipe to accommodate a lightning tape. Special fixed pipework without ears using secret fixings, was created for some locations to ensure clean lines and a smooth appearance.

Hoppers
Patterns were submitted for the 40 hoppers which were required to faithfully replicate the 150 year old hoppers already in-situ. Each hopper consisted of four ornate pieces (base unit, front piece and two sides) and each one had to be individually drawn and pieced together.

Offsets
A number of non-standard offsets were also required due to the undulations of the Victorian building’s walls. The Alumasc technical team designed each of these individually and they were able to ensure a product was manufactured that would suit each individual requirement.

Gutters
The external canopy to the station also featured moulded ogee gutters and a number of special outlets.