#oxford — Modernist Delights

Denys Wilkinson Building, Oxford, 2025

A modern concrete building with large windows sits next to an older brick building. A broad staircase with white railings leads up to the entrance. Several trees and a blue informational sign are visible, and the sky is partly cloudy.

A modern, multi-storey building with large glass windows and concrete walls stands beside a road. A street lamp is in front, green trees frame the right and top left, and a sign reads Banbury Road at the corner. The sky is overcast.

A large, modern building with angular, jutting concrete and glass structures. The lower level is textured concrete, while upper floors feature large dark glass windows. Two people walk on a pavement beside the building on a cloudy day.

Now offices, the tower used to house a vertical electrostatic accelerator – alas, my physics knowledge stops well short of knowing what one of those is. Designed by Philip Dowson of Arup.

Posted on September 26, 2025.

De Breyne Building, Keble College, Oxford, 2025

A tall, fortified-looking building made of yellow-brown brick, with multiple vertical columns and narrow, slit-like windows. The geometry is angular and brutalist. The sky above is cloudy, and a bicycle is parked at the far left.

A narrow, empty street curves alongside modern brick buildings with distinctive vertical buttresses. On the left, a stone wall with blooming white flowers and leafy trees contrasts with the architecture. The sky is mostly cloudy, and a white van is visible in the distance.

A rectangular metal vent with horizontal slats is set into a weathered brown brick wall. The vent is framed by a concrete border, and a white vertical line runs up the wall and across the vent, dividing the image symmetrically.

If I knew it was listed, I’d have attempted to take better photos. There’s some photos of the other side of the building on manchesterhistory.net.

Posted on September 24, 2025.

Sir Thomas White Building, St John’s College, Oxford, 2025

A small car park with several cars is surrounded by older brick buildings with ivy on the left and modern windowed buildings ahead. Trees and greenery line the area. A white barrier and a “danger” sign are visible in the foreground. The sky is overcast.

A modern concrete and stone building with angular windows and vertical supports stands beside a cobblestone path, bordered by a stone wall. Lush green trees partially obscure the structure, and the sky is overcast.

A concrete and stone building with tall, narrow windows and vertical, ribbed concrete supports on the facade. The structure has a modern, brutalist style and is partially shaded by a leafy tree on the right. Sunlight appears from the upper left corner.

A close-up of a brutalist building features large concrete bay windows with black frames and curtains drawn inside. Moss grows on ledges, and leafy green trees are visible on the left side, adding contrast to the angular concrete structure.

Posted on September 20, 2025.

Brutalist Five Guys (Oxenford House), Oxford, 2025

A beige, modernist building with five rows of square windows is shown. The ground floor has a FIVE GUYS sign. Reflections of trees and a church tower are visible in the windows. The sky is cloudy.

Posted on September 18, 2025.

Central Backpackers Hostel, Oxford, 2025

The photo is set on a city street, capturing the street, pavement, and a single bollard in the middle of the shot, and shows the entrance to a hostel. A square section of a large, white, unassuming brick wall is painted bright baby blue, with yellow and dark red detailing. A dark red diamond above the make-shift entrance arch reads OXFORD BACKPACKERS in a whimsical font.

They could be handing out free concrete in there, you are NOT getting me into a hostel for love nor money.

Posted on September 16, 2025.

Rewley Road fire station, Oxford, 2025

A side on view of a 3 storey building. It features an external concrete frame grid, with the spaces in-between built from brick. Some of the slots created by the grid feature windows instead, with one full height window on the ground floor, and some half height, thin framed windows above. The building is set against a cloudy sky. In front of it, a man walks.

Corner-on shot of a 3 storey concrete framed brick building. In the background of the shot, the building extends into what is clearly recognisable as the red shutters of a fire station, separated by an external concrete frame. The bulding is set against a cloudy grey sky, with some grass and a road in the foreground.

This photo focuses on the fire station garage, with 6 red shutters for fire truck, framed by an external concrete frame painted white.

Posted on September 14, 2025.