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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Modernist McDonald’s, Stafford, 2025

A brick building with three large windows on the upper floor houses a McDonald's and a Card Factory at street level. Small triangular flags hang across the street. Outdoor umbrellas are visible at the bottom of the image.

Two large square windows with metal frames are set in a brick building above a McDonald’s sign. Each window shows two cylindrical ceiling lights inside. The bottom border of a pink and yellow shop sign is also partially visible to the right.

Event — Survived architecture: Lviv modernism between the walls

A bilingual exhibition poster features a photo of a modernist block of flats framed by trees and streetlights. The Czech and English text promotes an exhibition on Lviv modernism at the Gallery of Architecture Brno, running from 10 April to 3 May 2026.

For any Brno followers, this exhibition is on for a few more days. I found it to be very informative, with beautifully shot photos.

Handrail detail, Václav Havel Airport, Prague, 2026

A wooden bannister with an angular corner is shown in the foreground, while another wooden bannister runs diagonally along a dark, marble-patterned wall in the background. The floor is grey with a textured surface, and part of a staircase is visible.

Within literal minutes of the plane touching down, I’ve already spotted:

This handrail
A concrete relief cemetery wall
A multi-storey car park
A glazed motorway stair barrier
A disused office block on a podium

Demolition in progress, Stafford, 2025

The image shows a brick building with tall, narrow, rectangular windows that have no glass, revealing an unfinished concrete ceiling inside. The upper sections of the building show discolouration and grime. The sky above is clear and blue.

Please use main entrance, Stafford, 2025

Stafford railway station, 2025

A modern railway station with multiple railway tracks in the foreground and a platform with a large concrete building above. There is a footbridge with glass panels, people waiting on the platform, and posters on the walls. Trees and a partly cloudy sky are visible.

A concrete railway station platform with a lift at the centre. Bicycles are parked nearby, and a cyclist with a blue jacket stands beside one. Signs include “NO CYCLING.” Railway tracks and another platform are visible through the yellow-tinted windows.

A close-up view of a wall covered with small square greyish-blue tiles. The tiles have a slightly rough, textured surface, and some areas on the left show discolouration or staining in a brownish tone. The overall pattern appears grid-like and repetitive.

Two people walk away down a long, enclosed pedestrian walkway with frosted windows and blue steel beams. The corridor is brightly lit, with a dark floor, yellow safety lines, and a sign above pointing to “Lifts”.

A blue door set into a concrete wall is partially blocked by an overhead ramp. A yellow warning sign and a no smoking sign are visible on the door. A propped-up yellow platform and a sign with an upward arrow and text are also seen nearby.

Frosted glass wall with vertical panels and blue triangular metal supports. A small green emergency exit sign with a running figure and arrow is mounted on the white wall below. The wooden ceiling is partially visible at the top.

A modern railway station platform with a concrete staircase in the centre, a green and white train stopped in the background, and a person standing near the train doors. Overhead lights and signage are visible under the wooden roof.

Three tall, narrow windows with frosted glass let in diffused light, surrounded by wooden panelling. The surrounding room is dark, highlighting the bright, vertical rectangles of the illuminated window panes.

A narrow metal walkway with a blue door at the end, bordered by yellow and black hazard stripes above. The walkway is flanked by concrete and railings with orange handrails, located inside a car park with some daylight visible outside.

A modern railway station with concrete and glass architecture, featuring a glass-enclosed pedestrian bridge above railway tracks, platforms below with people and bicycles, and a square tower structure in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

Greyhound Bridge, Lancaster, 2026

A modern bridge with vertical supports spans a calm river, reflecting in the water. Sparse trees and urban buildings are visible in the background under a clear blue sky. The scene is tranquil, with even lighting and green foliage on the left.

Originally built for train traffic in 1911, it was then converted to a road bridge in 1972, following the closure of the railway. Until I checked Wikipedia, I was convinced it was built in the 1960’s, not least due to its’ modern appearance.

Wikipedia also gives me flashbacks to the 2018 closure of the bridge, and altering of the one-way system, which until now I had successfully excised from memory.

High Chelmer Car Park, Chelmsford, 2025

A large, multi-storey concrete car park with a “market” sign on the side. Colourful murals and bikes are near the entrance; trees frame the image. The sky is clear and blue, casting shadows on the building.

A low-angle view of a concrete building with repetitive square grid-like openings and balconies. The sky above is clear and blue, with leafy tree branches partially visible at the top right corner. Shadows from the trees fall across the building.

A multi-storey concrete car park with geometric, grid-like openings stands above a street-level market, which has a white awning and colourful market signage. The sky is clear and blue, with sunlight casting shadows on the building façade.

A Charming Door, Lancaster, 2026

A black, ornate door set in a stone frame with brass decorations and a plaque above reading “SULTAN OF LANCASTER BROCK STREET FLATS 1-4”. A keypad is on the right, and a letterbox unit with labelled boxes is mounted on the stone wall beside the door.

Springfield House, Chelmsford, 2025

A row of three-storey commercial buildings with shops on the ground floor, including Rohan and RUN Active, under a clear blue sky. People walk along the brick-paved pedestrian street, and leafy trees line the pavement.

A four-storey brown brick office building with two glass doors at the ground level, flanked by retail shops. A purple “To Let” sign hangs above the entrance. The building has many windows, some reflecting the blue sky.

A three-storey building with boarded-up top-floor windows, large white-framed windows on the middle and lower floors, and a colourful geometric mural along the bottom, with painted signs advertising indoor games like escape rooms and shuffleboard.

Derelict office block for a sunny Saturday afternoon.