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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Kenning House & Higgins House, Hackney, London, 2025

A canal boat labelled EMPIRE QUEEN is in front of two brick blocks of flats with balconies. Cranes are visible in the background, and plants grow along the fence between the boat and the buildings. The sky is partly cloudy.

48-56 Orsman Road, Hackney, London, 2025

A large, white and brown industrial building with many grid-like windows stands beside a modern brown building. Trees and bushes are in the foreground, and metal stairs run up the building’s side. The sky is clear and blue.

As far as I can tell, this was formerly a warehouse for the British Museum, but it doesn’t appear to have any current use. It would make beautiful, expensive flats with all those windows.

Padangle House, Hackney, London, 2025

A red-brick office building has many large windows, a glass stairwell, and signs for Topps Tiles. There’s a construction scaffold on the right. The sky is clear and blue.

Padangle House was originally constructed in the first half of the twentieth century as a textile factory and was converted into large artists’ studios in the 1980’s to respond to the growing demand from London’s creative community.”
MIDA Architecture

Padangle House is currently being renovated, with additional floors of housing being added on top of the existing structure.

Maths and Social Sciences Building, Manchester, 2025

A tall, grey concrete block of flats with many windows stands between trees and other buildings. The sun is shining behind clouds, casting shadows. Autumn leaves are visible on the trees, and the sky is mostly blue with some clouds.

‘Hollaway Wall’ by Antony Hollaway, Manchester, 2025

Four tall concrete slabs with blue-bordered white graffiti letters “AW,” “O,” and “V.” Additional colourful tags and graffiti cover the slabs. Trees and a fence are on the left; a brick building with windows is on the right. Sunlight filters through leaves.

A concrete pillar covered in various colourful graffiti tags and spray-painted words, mostly in black, yellow, and red. On the left, a mural features a partial white circle outlined in blue and yellow, contrasting the rough, layered tags on the pillar.

Isle of Dogs, London, 2025

Tall modern glass skyscrapers dominate the scene under a clear blue sky, reflecting sunlight. Trees and a few low-rise buildings are visible at the bottom, with shadows cast on the street below. Urban cityscape creates a striking contrast with the sunlight.

Apollo Club signage & bonus mosaic tiling, Manchester, 2025

A tall, white tiled building facade features a vintage vertical sign reading Club Apollo. Below the sign is a small Werstecks beer advert. The building next to it has red-brown bricks. The sky above is cloudy.

A weathered building wall shows damaged red bricks, cracked plaster, and faded blue mosaic tiles. Pipes run vertically, and a black metal fence is in the foreground. Electrical boxes and vents are visible near the top. Sky and buildings appear in the background.

Industrial building, Ardwick, Manchester, 2025

A tall, old brick building with a faded ZAM ZAM sign stands behind a white MOT service garage. The sky is cloudy, and green tree branches are visible on the right side. The buildings show signs of age and wear.

A decaying industrial building of no architectural significance is my version of Marge Simpson’s “I just think they’re neat” potato.

Apollo Theatre / O2 Apollo Manchester (Hyde Road entrance), 2025

A derelict, white Art Deco building with boarded-up windows and graffiti on its facade. Four cars are parked in front. A street sign and lamp post are visible on the pavement. The sky is partly cloudy.

The side entrance to the O2 Apollo Manchester, the main entrance featuring a glazed white terracotta façade on Stockport Road. Why two entrances? UKmender on Cinema Treasures explains:

…the entrance on Hyde Road was a common ploy used where many cinemas were located at busy corners. Though the main frontage is on Stockport Road, it was originally thought advantageous for the building to also have a presence on Hyde Road, directly opposite the popular Manchester Hippodrome theatre.

(…)

Both entrances were, originally, similarly decorated and both contained box-offices. The Hyde Road entrance also gave access to the integral cafe and ballroom. Some attempts were made to run it as a separate venue but it is currently abandoned.

Notice, too, the barely visible Club signage on the left side of the building.

Hurricane Room signage, London, 2026

Vertical sign over a black door reads Hurricane Room Pool Bar Snooker with six green dots and one white dot. There’s an arrow pointing right at Entrance. A “For Sale” sign is on the door. A warning notice is on the wall above right.