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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Telephone House, Lancaster, 2025

A boarded-up, beige four-storey office building labelled TELEPHONE HOUSE stands on a quiet street, with a yellow skip in front. The windows are broken or missing, and leafless trees line the pavement. The sky is partly cloudy and blue.

A five-storey, rectangular, tan-brick building with many windows, some boarded up, under a blue sky. A metal fire escape is attached. The building looks abandoned, and some lower windows are damaged. Neighbouring buildings and trees are partially visible.

A large, abandoned brick building with boarded-up lower windows, many broken upper windows, and overgrown vegetation in front. A metal fire escape is attached to the left side. The sky is blue with clouds.

A black SUV is parked beside a fenced building. The sun is setting behind a brick building with metal staircases. Shadows and reflections are visible on the windows, and the sky is partly cloudy with yellow and blue hues.

Telephone House, once home to a BT customer service centre, received planning permission for conversion into apartments in 2024, alas, the apartments did not materialise. Until then, it’s just a source of phone signal woes.

One more interesting tidbit, from the article above:

During the Cold War, the basement of Telephone House housed an emergency bunker to be used in the event of a nuclear strike on the Lancaster district. Although the bunker didn’t ‘officially’ exist, it was common knowledge amongst staff who worked there until the basement area was cleared towards the end of the ’80s.

Marble House, Maida Vale, London, 2025

A long, three-storey brick block of flats with small balconies and white-framed windows faces a tree-lined pavement on a sunny day. Some balconies have plants, and shadows suggest it is morning or late afternoon.

51-80 Edenham Way, Cheltenham Estate, Kensal Town, London, 2025

A modern block of flats entrance with a concrete overhang, large windows above, brick and grey panel facade, and a sign reading Edenham Way. An orange parking barrier is visible in the foreground.

The concrete box stretches over the entryway like a ship’s bridge, which might come in useful if the rising sea levels ever come for zone 2.

Trellick Tower, Cheltenham Estate, Kensal Town, London, 2025

A tall, rectangular concrete block of flats with many balconies stands against a blue sky. Shorter buildings and leafless trees are visible at the base. Contrail lines are in the sky. The scene is well-lit by sunlight.

The entrance to Trellick Tower, a concrete residential building, with large block letters above the doors. Three bicycles are parked nearby, and a bus stop stands to the right with a timetable display. Trees and blue sky are visible in the background.

A tall, brutalist block of flats with many rows of white-framed windows and concrete balconies, viewed from below. The sky is partly visible, and leafless tree branches frame the scene on both sides.

A curved, grey, multi-storey block of flats lines the right side of a street with parked cars. In the background, a tall tower block rises against a bright, partly cloudy sky. Trees with sparse leaves stand to the left of the scene.

When I grow up, I’m going to start a campaign to stop putting assorted street furniture in front of grade II listed buildings.

Holmfield House, Kensal Town, London, 2025

A mid-century modern building with geometric patterns, large windows, and shops, including RELLIK, on a sunny street. Cars are parked along the kerb, and a red van is in the foreground. A leafy tree stands at the left, and a blue sky is above.

A person walks past a modern, grey brick block of flats with horizontal windows and blue accents. Bicycles are parked along the pavement. A shaft of sunlight highlights part of the building. The sky is clear and blue.

A three-storey, modernist building with long horizontal windows, blue tiles, and geometric designs stands at a street corner. Several cars are parked beside it. A person in a high-visibility vest is near a bicycle rack. Trees frame the image on the right.

A grey and blue modern block of flats with horizontal windows, round vents, and blue tile detailing. Parked cars and a motorbike line the street. A leafless tree stands near the pavement under a bright, clear sky.

Standing in the shadow of Trellick Tower on the day that I shot it, this is one of my favourite buildings. So much so, I have a Mandy Payne print of it in the office.

Beaufort Court, Canary Wharf, London

Modern multi-storey office building with large glass windows, angular balconies, and external staircases. Surrounded by high-rise buildings, parked cars, and leafless trees. Two no entry signs and a bicycle are visible near the entrance on a cloudy day.

Modern concrete building with multiple staggered balconies and white railings, viewed from below. The structure has sharp angles and visible weathering. In the background, taller buildings and a blue sky with scattered clouds are visible.

64 Essex Road, Islington, London, 2025

Three-storey brick building with large vertical windows, geometric brick pattern around windows, a grocery shop named Mint Organic at street level. Several people stand and walk near the entrance. Bicycles are parked outside. The number 64 is visible.

Former Victorian warehouse with an attractive brick façade.

199-200 Upper Street, Islington, London, 2025

A four-storey modern building with circular windows, metallic panels, and a central frame. Ground level has shops including American Dry Cleaning Company. Two people stand outside; a street lamp and kiosk are visible.

An alien spacecraft has landed in Islington – even extraterrestrials can see the opportunities in London’s red hot property market.

If this Rightmove listing is anything to go by, you couldn’t swing a cat in the kitchen, but the living room with the large terrace is to die for.

Signage, boundary of Freeman’s Wood, Lancaster, 2026

A red, hand-painted sign with white text hangs on a tall metal fence surrounded by greenery, plants, and trees. The sign reads: They hang the man & flog the woman that steals the goose from off the common but let the greater villain loose that steals the common from the goose

They hang the man & flog the woman that steals the goose from off the common

But let the greater villain loose that steals the common from the goose

Islington Fire Station, London, 2025

Modern brick fire station with five red-and-white garage doors, blue window frames, projecting blue-finished windows above, and vertical blue glass panels on the left. Two people walk outside on the pavement; a bare tree stands to the left of the entrance.

Designed by the Fire Brigade’s in-house architect, Peter J Smith, built in 1992. I would normally dislike many of its’ individual features (blue window frames? No, thank you), but as a whole it’s totally whimsical.