Modernist Delights

Exhibition: Architecture for the People, Manchester Central Library

A hand-drawn architectural plan shows a cross-section of a multi-storey triangular building. The plan is pinned to a wall, surrounded by black-and-white architectural photographs and yellow notes, one labelled “DOMESTIC” in uppercase letters.

A display board shows six architectural drawings and photos of an airport extension. Some images are sketches of roads and terminals, others are black-and-white construction photos or site plans. A yellow label reads AIRPORT EXTENSION. 1972 at the bottom.

A collage of six photos shows the construction and celebration of a Chinatown gate and pavilion. Four are black-and-white images of the building process, and two are colour photos of finished structures and a street festival crowd. A note reads CHINATOWN 1986-87.

Architecture for the People, a free exhibition at Manchester Central Library, showcases the city’s own City Architect’s Department and the incredible range of municipal buildings they designed between 1902 and 2003 — from iconic landmarks like the Free Trade Hall to everyday essentials such as schools, libraries, public baths and even mortuaries.

I’ve been taking notes — I’m looking forward to seeing a few modernist buildings designed by the department I didn’t hitherto know about.

The exhibition is curated by Martin Dodge (University of Manchester) and Richard Brook (Lancaster University). It’s on display for just a few more weeks, until 28 February, so don’t miss it.

Find out more

Colin Campbell House & Habitat sign, Plymouth, 2025

A weathered, grey art deco building with teal vertical accents houses a City Furnishers Shop beneath a white awning. Some windows are broken or have bars, and a yellow To Let sign is visible. The sky above is cloudy and dark.

A concrete sign reading “habitat” is bent at a sharp angle on a city street. Two wooden bar stools sit in front of it. Behind, there are old grey buildings, a parked white car, and signs for a casino, all under a partly cloudy sky.

The building, which once housed a car showroom and later a Habitat store, a bookshop, and a furniture shop, failed to secure a heritage listing in 2016, but survived the threat of demolition. It remains one of the few examples of art deco architecture in Plymouth which survived the Blitz. The current tenants of the building have been told to vacate the premises just last week, with the building up for refurbishment into housing. Bring on the uPVC!

Hopefully the sign will be saved – for one, it would look great in my office.

Glazed stairwells of Colin Campbell Court, Plymouth, 2025

A narrow street with parked cars runs beside a blue and white multi-storey building with glass stairwells. The brick ground floor has graffiti and industrial vents. Cloudy sky and scattered rubbish bins are visible in the background.

A blue block of flats with a glass-enclosed stairwell in the centre. Three storeys are visible. In front are several skips and bins. To the right is a white car, and the sky above is mostly cloudy with patches of sunlight.

Crimson columns of Council House, Plymouth, 2025

A concrete building facade with tall vertical windows, some with closed blinds and one open window. The lower level has grey stone and vertical bars. Reflections of clouds and city buildings appear in the glass. A single red pillar stands in the centre.

A cylindrical column covered in small red tiles stands between two large windows with vertical white blinds. The column casts a slight shadow, and reflections of buildings and cars are visible in the glass behind it. The scene appears urban and modern.

The “Crimson Columns of Council House” will be in session with Steve Lamacq on 6 Music this afternoon.

Plymouth Civic Centre & details, 2025

A tall, rectangular, concrete building with many small, dirty windows stands behind a shorter structure with alternating vertical dark and light stripes. The sky is partly cloudy, with blue sky visible on the left and a large white cloud on the right.

A grey, concrete car park by a brutalist tower block. Several cars are parked below. A spiral staircase leads to a walkway covered in colourful graffiti. The scene is urban, with cloudy blue sky above and yellow road markings on the ground.

A concrete spiral staircase with a green metal railing wraps around a cylindrical pillar in front of a graffiti-covered, urban building. Yellow parking lines, a parked orange car, purple bins, and industrial details are visible in the scene.

A brick wall with a grid of cross-shaped cut-outs, two vents near the bottom, and a white sign reading “Please do not park in front of roller bar.” Yellow diagonal parking lines and white lines mark the ground in front.

Designed by city architect Hector Stirling, completed in 1962. After several failed schemes to modernise these former Plymouth City Council offices, plans are currently underway to convert the lower floors of the building into a new campus for City College Plymouth, with housing on the floors above.

Dedicating this post to my beleaguered boyfriend, who detests this building.

Raleigh Street, Plymouth, 2025

A rundown, multi-storey white building with many boarded-up windows. On the ground floor are the closed “LUCKY STAR” Chinese restaurant, a sign for “EXPRESS” convenience shop, and more vacant shopfronts. A metal fence runs along the road in front.

Lucky Star Chinese takeaway, sadly only 3.1 stars on Google.

Theatre Royal car park, Plymouth, 2025

A large, multi-storey concrete car park with rounded edges and horizontal lines dominates a mostly empty urban street. The sky is partly cloudy, and a tall office building is visible in the background. Road signs and pedestrian crossings surround the car park.

A multi-storey concrete car park with wide, flat, textured floors and gaps between levels. A white streetlamp stands in front, and a metal fence borders the pavement. Yellow and red pillars are visible inside, with a partly cloudy sky above.

A multi-storey, concrete car park with three main levels, supported by red and blue columns. There’s a street in front with a railing and a yellow sign warning of a car park height restriction. The sky is cloudy.

A multi-storey concrete car park with three visible levels. No Entry signs and barriers block the entrance. Faded NO ENTRY is painted on the ground. The sky is partly cloudy above the building. The scene appears quiet and empty.

Plymouth Athenaeum, 2025

A modern, rectangular building labelled “ATHENAEUM” features large glass windows on the upper floor and a sheltered entrance below. The facade is grey, with bollards, a ramp, and a pedestrian crossing visible in front on a sunny day.

The theatre was used as a studio by neighbour Westward Television Studios with a tunnel linking the two together. In 1963 John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison escaped fans by using the tunnel.
Plymouth Athenaeum, Wikipedia

Built in 1961 following the bombing of the society’s previous home in the Blitz, designed by Walls and Pearn.

Chichester House, Plymouth, 2025

Tall, modern block of flats with brown brick exterior and white window frames. The block has around 15 storeys and is set against a partly cloudy, sunny sky. Cars, including a red van, are parked at the base near a black metal fence.

Designed by BA Searle, opened 1968.

Leigham Court, Plymouth, 2025

A large, grey, four-storey block of flats with many rectangular windows. The façade is plain and made of concrete bricks. A car park is visible below, with a red car parked on the left. The sky is cloudy and other buildings are partly visible nearby.

A five-storey, grey brick apartment building with large rectangular windows, some protruding in box-like frames. Double glass doors mark the entrance, with a sign reading “Osney Court” above. A bush with orange flowers grows on the right, under a partly cloudy sky.

A five-storey grey brick block of flats with large pane windows, some open. Bushes and small shrubs line the base. The building sits between a pale yellow house and another structure. A blue plaque is visible on the wall, and the sky is partly cloudy.

A grey brick building with vertical slits, a blue English Heritage plaque above, and a No Parking sign on the wall. Decorative concrete blocks are to the left, a bush with green leaves in the foreground, and windows near the top.

Finally, a building so unremarkable that I couldn’t find any historical information about it! However, the ground-level details still appealed to me.

The blue plaque is dedicated to Alison Vickers Garland, a suffragist whose family home stood on this site.

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