Cathedrals everywhere for those with eyes to see.

Modernist Delights is a blog about modernist and brutalist architecture. Find out more.

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Staircases, Torquay, 2025

A closed shopfront with a sign reading otto. Two symmetrical staircases lead up on either side, separated by a central railing and a grated window. Overcast sky and some palm trees are visible above the structure. The area appears empty.

Pearl Assurance House, Newton Abbot, 2025

A grey, weathered building labelled “PEARL ASSURANCE HOUSE” has a ground-floor shop called “Three Wishes” with star motifs. The shopfront has blue frames and display windows. The building sits at a street corner on a cloudy day, with railings and pedestrian crossings visible.

A three-storey building with a greenish-grey stone façade. The ground floor features the Phoenix Sounds shop, its window covered with art, flanked by a shop with glassware displays and a national bank with a cashpoint. The sky is overcast.

A spiral staircase not obscured by a wall in the Docklands, London, 2025

A modern white building with a central cylindrical glass tower enclosing a spiral staircase. The building has symmetrical rectangular windows and balconies on both sides. The sky above is overcast with grey clouds.

Throwback to the same staircase from 2024 – en route to a café, I incidentally approached Barrier Point from the other side, and there it was!

George’s Diner, Docklands, London, 2025

A boarded-up, abandoned brick building with a large sign reading GEORGE'S DINER. The windows and doors are covered with timber, graffiti is visible on the walls, and overgrown weeds dominate the foreground. The sky is overcast.

The kind of photo-through-fence that makes my partner stand a few metres away looking disinterested, lest passersby think he’s involved.

Cundy Park Play Building, Docklands, London, 2025

A small, single-storey red brick building with a sloping roof sits behind a tall metal fence. There are two turquoise doors and signs on the front, with overcast skies and trees in the background. The building faces a quiet, empty road.

Breaking up the monotony of the first day back in the office with a shabby little municipal park building.

Flying Angel House, Docklands, London, 2025

A tall red brick building with numerous grid-like windows, white trim, and two projecting white balconies. The sky above is cloudy, and a black railing and small green bushes are visible at ground level in front.

Opened in 1936 as The Missions to Seamen Institute, replacing an older Victorian building on East India Dock Road, as part of an Anglican organisation supporting seafarers. This hostel provided 150 bedrooms and related amenities, now in mixed commercial and residential use. The flying angel motif above the main entrance is of particular interest.