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Pilgrims Court and Haldane Court, Newcastle, 2024

A brick and stone building with three floors and many dark-framed windows stands between older buildings. Two cars are parked in front; one is partially under the building. There’s a lit entrance on the right, and trees and plants line the sidewalk.
A modern, multi-story apartment building with dark brick walls and irregular, wavy rooflines. Numerous rectangular windows reflect the fading daylight. A low stone wall separates the building from a quiet street with painted road lines and a few bushes.

Well, I know where I’m moving to when I retire! This is Pilgrims Court and Haldane Court, both of which are retirement properties which caught my eye on my walk to my hotel in Jesmond.

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One building across three eras, Newcastle, 1958-2024

Black-and-white photo of a quiet city street with tall, old stone and brick buildings. Signs above the doors advertise legal and insurance offices. Windows are large with decorative arches. No people or vehicles are visible. The street appears empty and clean.
Black-and-white photo of a modern mid-20th-century office building, five stories tall, with large windows and a simple facade. It stands between two older, ornate stone buildings. A sign reads “Scottish Permanent Building Society” above the entrance.
A four-story gray building with large windows and shops at street level. Signs for “World HQ Café” and “The Toon Express” (pizza and wraps) are visible. Parked and passing cars line the street in front. The weather appears overcast.

The first picture (source) shows the original building at 29 Mosley Street in Newcastle in 1958 – a cute little thing sandwiched between much grander, likely Victorian buildings either side. I particularly enjoy the rounded bay window protruding above street level.

The next picture (source), which Newcastle Libraries helpfully describes as having been taken “later than 1958”, shows an entirely new building, much more in check with this blog’s theme. A new modernist building neatly fits in the two remaining grand buildings and houses the Leicester Permanent Building Society.

Now, in September 2024, the same building still stands, although interestingly it seems to have lost its top storey which can be seen in the second picture. The panelling between the windows seems to have been replaced with something plainer, too, and the Leicester Permanent Building Society has been replaced by “Wake ‘n’ Cake” – I dare not ask what service they provide.

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British Gas Engineering Research Station, Killingworth, 2024

A large, modern industrial building with a flat roof and multiple white ventilation structures on top, set against a cloudy sky. The building is cream-colored with dark windows, surrounded by a fence, grass, shrubs, and a paved road in front.
Former British Gas Engineering Research Station, Killingworth by Andrew Curtis, CC BY-SA 2.0 – I foolishly failed to take my own photo.
A modern white building with large, cylindrical ventilation towers on the roof stands under a blue sky. In the foreground, two black wooden picnic tables sit on a green lawn near a curved pathway leading to the building’s entrance.
Modern white and black building with a ramp leading to an underground parking area. Green grass and weeds grow nearby. A lamppost stands on the left, and a road with roundabout markings runs in front. Sky is mostly blue with some clouds.
A glass-enclosed pedestrian bridge connects two modern buildings above a driveway. Below, several white utility trucks are parked. Yellow and white road markings, a red barrier, and a blue sky with wispy clouds are visible.
A modern, box-shaped brown building with large dark windows stands on a green lawn under a partly cloudy blue sky. Two metal staircases lead to doors on the side. White industrial structures and trees are visible in the background.
A modern building with dark, rectangular walls and large glass windows stands beside a grassy lawn. A glass-sided external staircase rises along the side. Trees, including a bare one, border the lush green lawn under a partly cloudy blue sky.

The grade II* listed former British Gas Engineering Research Station in Killingworth had us pawing at the fences like we were all Eric André at the DNC.

Things to enjoy:

  1. Block A, the main Engineering Research Station.
  2. The archway over the moat leading to the entrance.
  3. Car park ramp.
  4. Bridge leading to block B.
  5. Block B, the later addition of the School of Engineering.
  6. Detail shot of the glass-balustraded staircases to the first floor of block B.

If anyone has a key to the gate, or a torch and some wire cutters, let me know!

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On the beauty of concrete

This is an interesting look at how the reduction in ornament in modern buildings is the result of a change in culture, rather than economics. I’m not entirely convinced (it feels like the writer hit the word limit before he finished his argument) but the explanation of advancements in mechanical carving and casting in the middle is interesting.

The beauty of conrete – Works in Progress
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Killingworth Telephone Exchange, 2024

A modern, elevated building with gray concrete and glass walls sits on thick pillars. A spiral staircase leads to a door on the side. People stand nearby on a grassy area, with a black metal fence and shrubs in the foreground. Red brick houses are visible in the background.
A modern, gray concrete and brick building with tall windows sits above a sloped support wall. A person in a brown jacket and jeans walks on the green grass under a cloudy sky. Some bushes grow near the buildings base; a parking lot is visible in the distance.
A close-up of a gray building exterior featuring pale brickwork, a central tall window, two smaller vents, textured dark panels, and a slanted concrete support wall at the base with a small vent, photographed from ground level looking up.
A modern building corner with gray rectangular tiles and dark textured trim. The window is large and trapezoidal, set at an angle with a wooden frame, reflecting blue sky. Green moss grows on the lower edge; leafy branches are visible to the left.
A spiral metal staircase leads to a door on the upper floor of a modern, gray brick building. The door opens directly onto the stairs, with no landing. Bushes and a black metal fence are in front of the building, and the sky is overcast.

Let’s go to the North East! Over the next few days I’ll post the highlights of my trip to Killingworth and Newcastle with The Modernist.

First up, the Killingworth Telephone Exchange. The tiny type at the side and the circular concrete staircase (another favourite of mine) are particular highlights!

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