Waitrose has opened a 24,000 sq ft store in London’s King’s Cross in a Victorian storage shed formerly used as part of the rail network.

The London to Scotland mainline runs directly beneath the Grade II listed building and Waitrose has had to construct the interior in a manner that ensures the fit-out does not touch the bricks walls or compromise the cast-iron framework.

The outcome is a store that has exposed Victorian brick, complete with a painted ‘Euston’ sign, a clock intended to replicate those found in stations of the time and a series of counters that cater for the small-basket shopper (there is not parking nearby).

The store also has a cookery school, its third – the others are on London’s Finchley Road and in Salisbury – where a series of events are planned, as well as regular cookery classes.