The “universally unloved” green canopy outside King’s Cross station started to be taken down on Monday.

It has hidden the front of the station since the 1970s, but once gone the Grade I listed facade will be revealed in all its glory.

The work is part of the re-development of King’s Cross Square, which once open next autumn, will be 50 per cent bigger than Leicester Square.

Matt Tolan, from Network Rail, said: “We’re finally removing a building that’s almost universally unloved, restoring the station to its full architectural glory and creating a modern station fit for the future that gives passengers and the local community a huge new space to enjoy.”