#manchester — Modernist Delights

Charles Street car fortress, Manchester, 2025

A multi-storey car park with exposed concrete, black columns, and bright blue stair railings. The central staircase is visible, zigzagging upward. Overhead, the sky is cloudy and grey. A tall, rusted lamp post stands in front of the building.

A large, grey, multi-storey car park with graffiti on its walls stands beside a wet, empty road curving to the right. The sky is cloudy, and modern, mid-rise buildings are visible in the background. The scene is deserted and urban.

A multi-storey concrete car park with exposed floors and railings. The lower level is covered in colourful graffiti. Overgrown plants line the base, and the sky above is cloudy. The structure appears empty and neglected.

Back where it all began.

Manchester Palace car fortress, 2025

A multi-storey car park with brown, corrugated metal panels and concrete floors. The lower level features brickwork, metal vents, and small windows. Vertical and horizontal lines create a grid-like, repetitive architectural pattern. No cars are visible.

A tall, narrow concrete stairwell with vertical grooves and tall windows stands next to a multi-storey car park. A yellow “Car Park Exit Only” sign is mounted on the wall. The sky is overcast and part of a red brick building is visible.

I can only imagine the name refers to the palatial nature of this car park, and not the Palace Theatre next door.

Ridgefield House, Manchester, 2025

A low-angle view of two connected buildings: one grey with square windows and many air conditioning units attached, the other taller, red-brick with a glass and metal staircase running along its side. A green tree is visible on the left edge against a cloudy sky.

24-36 High Street, Manchester, 2025

A group of people walk past a large, grey, multi-storey building with many windows and graffiti along its lower level. The weather is overcast, and the building appears old and worn, with a red brick structure on the left and street signs visible.

A tall, rectangular brutalist building with dark and light concrete sections stands under a partly cloudy sky. The lower facade is covered in graffiti. A blurred yellow tram passes in the foreground. Other modern buildings are visible to the sides.

A cityscape view shows a blocky, modernist grey building with many windows. Surrounding it are older brick and contemporary buildings. The nearest wall at street level features colourful graffiti. The scene is cloudy with sparse traffic on the roads.

24-36 High Street is a poorly (sic) quality example of utilitarian Brutalist Architecture.
Manchester City Council planning report

Don’t hold back! Today’s rabbit hole is courtesy of Reddit user 3ssar, who commented:

Saw Lana Del Rey’s first ever UK show in (under) there, among others. Always stunk as a venue and had pillars in the middle, blocking the view of the stage

Lana Del Rey’s first UK show! They should be putting a blue plaque on it, not demolishing it in favour of 361 apartments with commercial space on the ground floor 💔

Underground car park entrance, Manchester, 2025

A concrete car park entrance with overhead “Maximum Height 4.5m” sign, SLOW painted on the ramp, red and white bollards, stop signs, and arrows directing cars. Yellow safety railings and various signs are visible along the grey walls.

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.

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.

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