Modernist Delights

Woodstock Fire Station training tower, 2025

A three-storey beige brick fire station with a tall training tower stands behind a black metal fence. Several cars are parked outside. A red banner about on-call firefighters hangs on the fence. Trees and cloudy skies are visible in the background.

I haven’t quite worked out the GPS on my camera at the time I took this photo, so I’ve just spent a good half hour going through credit card receipts trying to find where I was that day 🤡

Overcast Lune Business Park, Lancaster, 2025

An abandoned red brick building with broken and boarded-up windows. Overgrown grass and bushes fill the foreground, along with metal gates, one of which is rusted and partly open. Rubbish and debris are visible near the building’s dark entrance.

A bright red metal roller shutter door is closed on a green corrugated metal building. The frame above the door is also red, and the ground in front has some leaves and debris. The building shows minor signs of weathering.

Having a normal one (taking a picture of a shutter on an industrial estate because the colours are pretty).

Thomas Hull House, Oxford, 2025

A modern building with large reflective glass windows and angled brick walls stands between two older structures. A staircase leads to a gated entrance, and a white bicycle is parked near the base. Tree branches hang over the scene on the right.

Oxford Botanic Garden, 2025

A view of the inside of a glasshouse showing a metal and glass frame structure. The glass panels are foggy and streaked with water, indicating humidity or recent rain. Some green plants are visible in the lower left corner. The sky outside looks overcast.

A glass glasshouse surrounded by lush green plants sits under a cloudy sky. In the background, a tall, historic stone tower with pointed spires rises above the trees. The scene appears calm and overcast.

Tall, spiky cacti and leafy plants grow inside a large glasshouse with metal framework and glass panes. The sky appears grey outside, and the silhouette of the plants is prominent against the light filtering through the glass roof.

It’s not modernist, I realise that, but I have a weakness for thin-framed aluminium windows, especially where plants are involved.

Holder Building, Oxford, 2025

View looking up between two Brutalist buildings connected by two elevated walkways, one with glass panels and another with a curved metal covering. The buildings have rough concrete and brick textures, with some windows and vents visible. Trees can be seen below.

A large concrete building with four storeys of horizontal windows, each floor lined with continuous glass panels. The structure has a tall, plain stairwell tower on the left and is surrounded by dense green foliage and some red-leaved bushes in front.

A tall, modern concrete building with narrow vertical windows and textured walls. The facade features glass panels with horizontal metal dividers. A transparent, curved canopy is in the foreground, and leafy branches appear on the right side.

Concrete steps with a metal railing lead to a glass entrance door framed in dark red, set in a modern concrete building. The wall on the right is textured. Large windows above reflect another building. A ramp runs beside the steps.

A low-angle view of a tall, grey concrete building with narrow, rectangular windows. Green leafy trees partially frame the lower right and left edges, and the sky is partly cloudy in the background.

Thom Building, Oxford, 2025

A large, square, concrete and glass building with multiple floors, seen from the front. It has many windows, a flat roof, and a central pole with lights in front. Trees and other buildings are visible on either side under a cloudy sky.

Metal exterior staircase with three flights and railings attached to a brick building. Yellow caution lines on the middle stairs. A blue bicycle and various equipment are underneath. Grass, trees, and a fence are on the left; pavement and a road are in front.

A rectangular sign reading “Department of Engineering Science” is mounted above large windows on a concrete and brick building. Metal barriers are visible in front of the entrance, and reflections can be seen in the upper windows.

A multi-storey modernist building with large, rectangular windows and concrete columns. The facade includes areas of dark brick. An outdoor metal stairway is visible on the left side. The sky is partly cloudy in the background.

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.