Modernist Delights

Moore Street Electricity Substation, Sheffield, 2024

A modern, imposing concrete building with angular shapes and horizontal glass balcony railings stands against a cloudy sky. The lower section features vertical slats and dark brickwork, while the upper floors jut outward with exposed structural elements.

A large, angular concrete building with brutalist architecture, covered in graffiti at the lower level. Metal staircases are visible on the corner. Overcast sky looms above, and several people walk along the street in the foreground.

I love buildings that just look fucking massive and heavy and fortress-like. The Moore Street Electricity Substation is one of them. Grade II listed, too!

On hope in modernism

A white booklet with bold black text on the cover reading ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL. The authors, Simon Phipps & Darren Umney, are listed at the bottom. The booklet rests on a wooden surface with a diagonal grain pattern.

An open magazine on a wooden table displays black and white pages. The left page, titled THE UNIVERSITIES BUILD, features text and three photos of modern university buildings. The right page, THE STUDENT IN RESIDENCE, shows text and a large photo of a concrete building.

Look at what came in the post! 😍 I completely missed this exhibition, but when I found an sample in a gallery a few weeks ago, Leeds University Library Galleries were kind enough to dig out and post to me an original copy of “Another Brick In The Wall”, the exhibition programme filled with a brief history and gorgeous pictures of 1960’s new universities, one of which I went to (although that one was not featured in this exhibition). I’ve already been to Leeds, but Sussex and East Anglia are definitely on my bucket list.

I really enjoyed this passage from exhibition curators Darren Umney and Simon Phipps:

The buildings, and the stories behind their planning and construction, embody a number of concepts that are increasingly scarce: an architectural sensibility which reflects a shared emphasis on social equality; the academic aspiration for a broad holistic educational experience; and a political environment where policies strived to support a sustainable and equitable democracy.

(…)

It is of some comfort that the curation of these buildings and their histories continues. It is however an uncomfortable truth that the aspirational vision of postwar Britain – to create a fairer society and a thriving democracy supported by innovations in design, technology and education – was to be diluted and diverted.

That vision is now often framed as unachievable and utopian. An ideal upheld only by derided stereotypes of the socialist, the bleeding heart, the artist. Whereas it was once held together in an (albeit fragile) consensus, it increasingly seems to be a vision that was based on a currency which is no longer valued and imbued with values that are no longer current.

This is part of the attraction of modernism for me – where it certainly failed in some respects (for various reasons. just and otherwise, better documented elsewhere), it was at least filled with an aspirational vision of hope, although perhaps this is only a nostalgic view.

John Lewis car park, Sheffield, 2024

A large, gray, concrete multi-story car park with a blank, windowless facade, covered in graffiti at the street level. Several people walk nearby under a cloudy sky. Street signs and barriers are visible at the building’s base.

Pleasingly rectangular car park round the back of the old John Lewis in Sheffield. Angles so sharp I feel like I could cut myself on its’ corners. Tile-mania continues, too!

Fountain Precinct, Sheffield, 2024

A modern office building with rectangular, reflective windows and gray tiled exterior. The structure has multiple stories and a geometric design. The sky, with light clouds, is reflected in the windows, adding a soft hue to the building’s facade.

A modern urban courtyard with stone paths, flowerbeds, and benches. Surrounding the area are tall office buildings with bronze-tinted glass windows. The MANAHATTA sign is visible on one building. Trees and cloudy sky are in the background.

Nothing particularly extraordinary about this one, the Fountain Precinct – I just love the way the golden glass reflects beside the brown tiles, particularly beautiful before Tumblr’s compression got to it and dulled it 💔

Sheffield Magistrates Court + details, 2024

A large, gray concrete building labeled Sheffield Magistrates Court with rows of square windows and a ramp leading to the entrance, set against a cloudy sky. Red brick buildings are visible to the left.

A concrete building facade with a row of large windows at the top and smaller windows below. The lower wall is covered with evenly spaced white circular dots. In front, there’s a low brick wall, some grass, and a metal vented box.

Two tall, cylindrical concrete structures with a rough, textured surface stand on either side of a modern glass-paneled building facade. The glass reflects the cloudy sky and nearby architecture, while vertical lines accentuate the height of the scene.

Old Wilko, Sheffield, 2024

A large, worn, multi-story brick and concrete building with boarded windows, faded panels, exposed framework, and metal railings. The building appears abandoned or unused, under a cloudy sky, showing signs of age and neglect.

Is this enough textures and materials? No, add MORE.

Mecca Bingo, Sheffield, 2024

A tall brick building with a large, square window covered by a yellow grid is shown. Five smaller windows are visible below, alongside vents and security cameras. Part of a colorful structure is on the left, under a cloudy blue sky.

A bingo hall, on a modernist blog? Groundbreaking.

Public art at the Preston City Council Environment Directorate, 2024

A mural on a tiled wall features geometric patterns with squares in red, green, black, gray, and white, alongside domino-like tiles with black or colored dots. White lines connect the shapes, and the mural sits beneath large windows on a rainy sidewalk.

One last pic from wet Preston before we return to Sheffield! Public art at the Preston City Council Environment Directorate building. I don’t know anything else about it, or even why they thought to be so extra as to decorate a council building on an otherwise residential estate, but it’s nice to see!

Not pictured: my boyfriend walking away from the freak taking close ups of a derelict council building.

Preston Civic Centre, 2024

A dramatic low-angle view of a modern building at night shows angular concrete beams and large, dark reflective windows above a brick wall. The structure is illuminated by artificial light, and a small yellow sign is visible near the bottom. The sky is dark and cloudy.

Always loved how the Civic Centre peeks out over this lower building.

Preston Bus Station, 2024

A nighttime view of a modern bus station with illuminated “Bus Station” sign. Three people stand and talk outside the entrance under large overhanging architectural panels and columns. The interior is brightly lit through large glass windows.

She’s beauty, she’s grace, she’s even a film star… she’s everything. They have renovated her beautifully.

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