One of London's most iconic railway stations has unveiled its new Christmas tree - a gigantic traditional German pyramid sponsored by the country's tourist board.
St Pancras International revealed the elaborate three-tiered creation including 24 'curiosity windows' depicting German destinations and festive traditions.
The 36ft (11m) wooden monument under the station's famous roof features 1,564 recycled fairy lights and took 18 workers more than 2,300 hours to create.
St Pancras partnered with German tourism officials to create the structure which is made up of 898 individual interlocking biodegradable plywood components.
It comes after the station worked with Great Ormond Street Hospital on last year's 39ft (12m) Christmas tree which included a digital donation point for the charity.
The 2025 tree aimed to celebrate the hopes of seriously ill children and included hand-painted baubles recreating 38 artworks inspired by youngsters at the hospital.
This year's pyramid – sponsored by Hilton hotels - will double from December 1 as a giant Advent calendar, with one window illuminating daily until Christmas Eve.
Visitors passing through St Pancras can also test their knowledge with interactive panels, answering questions to uncover facts and stories about Germany.
Prize draws will also include return rail tickets to Germany with Eurostar and two-night Hilton stays in Germany. The structure will remain in place until January 2.
But the reference to it being a 'tree' by St Pancras was mocked by some social media users, with one saying: 'I like it, but the word 'tree' is doing a lot of work here.'
Passengers walk past the 36ft (11m) Christmas 'tree' at London St Pancras International station
St Pancras partnered with the German tourist board to create the structure inside the station
TV broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, who was born in Germany, attended the unveiling yesterday
A family look at the monument in St Pancras station which features 1,564 recycled fairy lights
Passengers take pictures of an the installation which was unveiled in St Pancras yesterday
The structure inside St Pancras station has three rotating tiers and 24 'curiosity windows'
Teresa Windschall, the ambassador of Nuremberg's Christmas market, at the structure
Others wrote: 'It's not a tree but it still looks Christmassy and festive nonetheless'; 'it's lovely but it's not a tree' and 'need to go to Specsavers - that is not a tree'
Further tweets pointed out that the German Embassy in London had not described it as a 'tree', but rather a 'spectacular 11-metre Christmas pyramid'.
St Pancras said the German partnership shows how rail passengers can already reach the country by travelling to Brussels with Eurostar before changing trains.
There are hopes of a direct service from London to Frankfurt and Cologne in future after Eurostar and Deutsche Bahn signed an agreement to explore the idea.
St Pancras also released new research showing 89 per cent of Brits will celebrate at least one German-linked Christmas tradition this year, but recognise only 33 per cent of those traditions as German-linked.
Some 46 per cent admit they follow Christmas traditions without knowing where they came from, while 52 per cent said they were surprised to learn how many familiar festive traditions have German origins or connections.
TV broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, who was born in Wuppertal in Germany in 1948, attended the unveiling yesterday and said: 'This wonderful Christmas pyramid tree gives you both Christmas and Germany in one magical experience.
'As you climb the tree, there's wonderful historic buildings and a lot of traditions that many won't realise are German.'
2025: St Pancras partnered with Great Ormond Street Hospital for the Christmas tree last year
2024: A partnership with Universal Pictures UK two years ago marked the release of Wicked
2023: An enormous bookshelf in the shape of a Christmas tree promoted Hatchard's bookstore
2022: St Pancras partnered with The Prince's Trust for a tree inspired by the London skyline
Petra Hedorfer, chief executive of the German National Tourist Board, said: 'Christmas traditions are an important part of Germany's culture, and many have travelled far beyond our borders to become traditions enjoyed across Britain today.
'We're delighted to partner with St Pancras International and Hilton to bring these stories to life in the heart of London, connecting British travellers with the destinations and festive experiences behind them, and inspiring visitors to discover more of Germany this festive season.'
Wendy Spinks, chief commercial officer at St Pancras Highspeed, said: 'The St Pancras International Christmas Tree has become a much-loved part of London's festive calendar, and each year we want to give visitors something new and unexpected to discover.
'This year, we're delighted to be working with the German National Tourist Office and Hilton to celebrate the fascinating stories behind some of the Christmas traditions we all know and love.'
Christmas trees were first seen widely in German homes in the 16th century, before coming to Britain after German-born Prince Albert married Queen Victoria.
They quickly became popular in the UK thanks to an 1848 illustration of Victoria, Albert and their children gathered around a decorated tree at Windsor Castle.
Separately, a survey by Celebrations chocolates revealed that as many as one in ten Britons will put up their Christmas tree this week in a trend dubbed 'Christmas-maxxing' – when people try to prolong the festivities beyond December.
READ MORE: One in ten of us is already decking the halls
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