Sir John

The statue of Sir John Betjeman at St Pancras.

When I checked the train that I was booked on from Manchester I saw that it was cancelled. So, I left earlier in order to catch the one before it (the one after would be carrying 2 trains full of people). I got to Piccadilly in time for the one before that, except that it had been cancelled as well, though it still showed up on the National Rail App as running. 

I managed to get a seat, and all went well until we were stopped by a lineside fire and the train was then 31 minutes late arriving at Euston.

I ended up on the same train for the final leg home that I would have caught had the train that I was booked onto been running and on time.