German Gymnasium, London

The building, which is currently used as a German-themed bar and restaurant, is a legacy of London’s once large and thriving German community.

It was constructed in 1864–65 for the German Gymnastics Society, a sporting association established in London in 1861 by Ernst Ravenstein.

[1] Designed by Edward A. Gruning and built by Piper and Wheeler, the German Gymnasium is a 2+1⁄2-storey multi-coloured stock brick building with a roof constructed from laminated wood trusses with cast iron fillets.

The roof trusses – some 20m wide – are as experimented with but replaced at nearby King's Cross Station.

Part of the western end of the building was lost to make way for the construction of the new international rail terminal of St Pancras.

German Gymnasium, London from the west end.
Medal for the opening of the London German Gymnasium on 28 January 1865.
Laminated roof timbers showing cast-iron fillets and supporting brickwork.
The east end in 2024