Modernist Delights

Door detail ♦️ at St Anthony’s Church in Wythenshawe, Manchester, 2024

A pair of dark brown, textured metal double doors with small diamond-shaped windows, set in a weathered stone or concrete frame. The doors have a central rectangular metal push plate, and rivets are visible along the door surface.

On M62 reservoirs

Steve could make a wet reservoir look good 😍 And does! This is really interesting actually, despite living in Manchester once upon a time I didn’t realise how much earthworks the M62 required until I saw it written down all in one place.

Several Yorkshire Reservoirs

William Temple Parish Church, Wythenshawe, Manchester, 2024

Four men stand on a paved path leading to a brick building with a sloped roof and multiple dormer windows under a blue sky with clouds. A white car is parked on the left and trees and grass surround the area. One man walks toward the entrance.

Large vertical windows with rectangular glass panes are set in a brick wall. The image is taken from inside, with daylight coming through, creating a strong contrast and making the interior appear dark and shadowed.

A modern church interior with red brick walls, wooden ceiling beams, and tall windows. The central altar features a white cloth and wooden elements. Wooden benches and a large cross hang above, with soft natural light illuminating the space.

A solid wooden door with vertical panels and black studs is set in a white brick wall. There is a small sign on the door that says “Clergy vestry” with a simple illustration of a church on it. The door has a modern silver handle.

A rectangular window with vertical and horizontal metal bars is set in a wall of multicolored, weathered bricks. The glass reflects a cloudy sky and faint outlines of nearby buildings and people.

Spiral staircase at Sherborne Abbey, 2024

A wooden spiral staircase with ornate black metal railings stands against a stone wall. The stairs curve tightly upward, partially obscured by a wooden partition below. A blue and red dolly leans nearby, and a framed map hangs on the right wall.

Barbican Estate, London, 2024

A view from beneath a concrete overhang frames a Brutalist-style building with balconies. Several people walk near parked vans and a red Royal Mail truck. Trees with autumn leaves and a cloudy sky are in the background.

Framed en-route to Farringdon Station from the Beech Street tunnel.

Roundhouse Hotel, Bournemouth, 2024

A multi-story building with patterned concrete facade and many windows rises above a sloped parking garage entrance. Two parking barriers and signs are at the entrance, with a traffic cone and tape nearby. Blue sky and clouds are visible overhead.

A round, modern hotel building with several floors and many windows, “The Roundhouse” sign above. The building is backlit by the sun, creating a halo effect. Blue sky and some clouds are visible; palm-like plants and a fence are in the foreground.

A wall with a geometric pattern of repeating hexagonal openings made from concrete is seen behind a solid blue construction barrier. Above the patterned wall, white railings and part of a window are visible. The angle is slightly upward.

Final bit from Bournemouth: Roundhouse Hotel. The reviews of the hotel are pretty dire, but no matter. I love any rotunda, especially when it’s also a car park, and especially when it’s wrapped in a beautiful concrete lattice.

Bonus: the logo of this restaurant and bar on the ground floor of the hotel.

A round, multi-story gray building labeled “THE ROUNDHOUSE” sits above a blue and white restaurant called “WAVE RESTAURANT & BAR.” Patio tables, benches, plants, and trees are in the foreground on a sunny, partly cloudy day.

South Western House, Bournemouth, 2024

A narrow city street with a large, aging, gray office building reading South Western House. Shops line both sides, including a blue Leaders real estate office. The street is empty, and sunlight creates sharp shadows. The sky is mostly clear.

When you’re walking down the street and some concrete beauty appears around the corner 😍

Beales department store, Bournemouth, 2024

A large, curved, multi-story brick building with many horizontal windows stands on a busy city street. The sign reads “Beales.” People walk and sit in the foreground. The sun creates a bright halo behind the building under a partly cloudy sky.

The massive, looming presence of the Beales building, a former department store in Bournemouth.

Having gone bust in 2020, the Twentieth Century Society writes:

A planning application to convert most of the building to residential use was refused in 2016 because of a wish to retain retail floor space in the town’s primary shopping area against a backdrop of a sizable public campaign to retain Beales as a store – “I back BEALES.”

Look at how well that worked out! In July 2024, the building has been granted planning permission to convert it into housing with gym and pool, as well as three ground floor retail units. These will surely be of similar architectural value as those in Bristol & West House.

Bristol & West House, Bournemouth, 2024

A curved corner brick building with many windows under a bright sun, casting shadows. Several cars are parked along the street, and a few people walk on the sidewalk, including a person pushing a stroller. The sky is mostly clear with a few clouds.

A four-story building features brown brick walls and large, rectangular windows with green vertical panels between some windows. A white awning extends above the entrance, labeled Bristol & West House, under a clear blue sky.

A tall, art deco building with Bristol & West House on the top, features curved brickwork, tall windows, and a Be At One cocktail bar on the ground floor. People walk nearby under a clear blue sky, with leafy trees framing the right side.

Walking away from the Bournemouth Echo building, we were distracted by Bristol & West House, a 1958 art deco building. Originally it must’ve been offices + retail, with the upper floors being converted to become the plainest apartments imaginable in 2015. Externally it’s a very fine building, however.

Brighthelm Centre, Brighton, 2024

A four-story, weathered brown concrete building with vertical stains stands on a rainy street. The ground floor has a colorful storefront named Astoria with a blue fence beside it. Several cars are parked along the wet road in front of the building.

I’ve risked my last train home out of rainy Brighton to stop and take a picture of this beauty. This is the Brighthelm Centre. I love the textured concrete at the front of the building, and while the brick behind doesn’t do much for me, it certainly makes a great first impression. The cross recessed into the textured concrete is a particularly nice touch.

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