Modernist Delights

76 – 80 Deansgate, Manchester, 2025

A city street with modern and older buildings. Visible venues include BE AT ONE bar with black signage, a bright blue restaurant with pink and red details, and other shops. People walk on the pavement. The sky is clear and the road has bollards.

Pinned by manchesterhistory.net as being circa 1930, which feels about right. At least in the main part of the building, the windows appear to have been refurbished, but retain their original charm and slender frames.

The manchesterhistory.net post references historical photos of the building, but the links have broken – here are the updated links for 1938 and 1976.

Oakland House & car fortress, Manchester, 2025

A tall, dark brick office building with many narrow windows stands in bright sunlight against a clear blue sky. Reflections appear in the glass windows on the left. A car park is attached at right, and the area in front is mostly empty pavement.

A narrow, empty street runs between a dark, tall office block on the left and a beige multi-storey car park on the right. The sky is clear and blue, and a pedestrian bridge connects the two buildings above the street in the background.

A multi-storey concrete car park with three visible floors and an exterior staircase on the right. A striped barrier blocks vehicle entry, and two red-and-white bollards are at the entrance. Sunlight casts shadows; a sign reads Oakland House.

Pall Mall Court, Manchester, 2025

Modern office building with large glass windows reflecting the sky and surrounding structures. The façade features black metal frames and beige concrete sections. The sky above is partly cloudy, and the perspective looks upward from a street level angle.

Regent House, Stockport, 2026

A large red-brick railway viaduct spans a city street. In the background, a tall white building labelled Regent House is visible. Cars are parked along the road, and blue sky with scattered clouds is overhead.

In honour of springtime, and the first photography trip of the year last weekend 🙌🏼

Mulberry Street, Manchester, 2025

A two-storey brick building with tall windows, wooden and shingle details, and a decorative green metal archway beside a black garage door. The building is flanked by older red-brick structures and a black streetlamp stands in front. Parked cars line the street.

Walking out of my hotel, I found this charmingly detailed building, featuring horizontal brickwork on the ground floor, and wooden panelling and shingles on the first floor. Appearing to be used as a dwelling, I was surprised to see it amongst much larger, and much older (not least St Mary’s RC Church of 1794, next door but one) buildings, as well as modern 21st century high rises of central Manchester.

Mulberry Passage, which passes underneath it, is also part of a network of passages decorated with public art in tribute to scientist John Dalton.

Tenterfield Street, Preston, 2025

A curved urban road leads downhill into a tunnel beneath concrete and brick buildings. Tall offices and flats rise above, with greenery on the right embankment. Yellow road markings and black bollards guide traffic under a cloudy sky.

Preston Magistrates’ Court, 2025

A modern building with white tiles and large windows; a sign above the entrance reads Magistrates' Courts. Yellow doors and a ramp are visible at the front, with reflections of trees in the glass. The pavement is marked with yellow lines.

A large, windowless white-tiled building with narrow vertical windows on the left side; a white railing runs along the front, with concrete columns below. A leafy tree partially covers the left side, and a pavement and road are visible in front.

A modern, rectangular white building with vertical narrow windows in staggered rows. The facade is covered with rectangular tiles, and part of the upper corner is open. The sky is overcast and grey.

Entrance to a building with double glass doors, a sign reading Area Training Suite First Floor, and a metal plaque on the wall. The plaque lists the County Borough of Preston and council information. The area is shaded and concrete.

Never has the difference between the original and later additions has been so stark as in the frontage of this one, not least in that ill-typeset, ill-positioned sign. Take a look around the back for an example of some much more pleasant signage.