#modernism

Plymouth Civic Centre & details, 2025

A tall, rectangular, concrete building with many small, dirty windows stands behind a shorter structure with alternating vertical dark and light stripes. The sky is partly cloudy, with blue sky visible on the left and a large white cloud on the right.

A grey, concrete car park by a brutalist tower block. Several cars are parked below. A spiral staircase leads to a walkway covered in colourful graffiti. The scene is urban, with cloudy blue sky above and yellow road markings on the ground.

A concrete spiral staircase with a green metal railing wraps around a cylindrical pillar in front of a graffiti-covered, urban building. Yellow parking lines, a parked orange car, purple bins, and industrial details are visible in the scene.

A brick wall with a grid of cross-shaped cut-outs, two vents near the bottom, and a white sign reading “Please do not park in front of roller bar.” Yellow diagonal parking lines and white lines mark the ground in front.

Designed by city architect Hector Stirling, completed in 1962. After several failed schemes to modernise these former Plymouth City Council offices, plans are currently underway to convert the lower floors of the building into a new campus for City College Plymouth, with housing on the floors above.

Dedicating this post to my beleaguered boyfriend, who detests this building.

Plymouth Athenaeum, 2025

A modern, rectangular building labelled “ATHENAEUM” features large glass windows on the upper floor and a sheltered entrance below. The facade is grey, with bollards, a ramp, and a pedestrian crossing visible in front on a sunny day.

The theatre was used as a studio by neighbour Westward Television Studios with a tunnel linking the two together. In 1963 John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison escaped fans by using the tunnel.
Plymouth Athenaeum, Wikipedia

Built in 1961 following the bombing of the society’s previous home in the Blitz, designed by Walls and Pearn.

Riviera International Centre, Torquay, 2025

A paved path leads to blue and green tennis courts, separated by fences. A large, modern building with Riviera Centre signage stands in the background, surrounded by trees. The sky is partly cloudy, and the foreground shows dry, patchy grass.

A large, modern concrete building labelled “RIVIERA CENTRE” has balconies and palm trees in front. Two parked cars and two people standing near a sign are visible. The sky is partly cloudy, and the area looks clean and well-maintained.

A modern, grey concrete leisure centre with large mirrored windows reflects the sky. A yellow Waves sign is on the upper wall. Bushes and palm trees surround the entrance. A paved path and grassy area with rocks are in front, under a partly cloudy sky.

A dense cluster of palm fronds grows in front of black metal garage doors set into a concrete building. The pavement consists of grey interlocking bricks. A red and white ‘No entry’ sign is mounted on the left side of the structure.

A grey, concrete building with RIVIERA CENTRE in bold letters at the top. A large circular window is above three blue doors. The lower facade features dark brickwork. Some plants and bicycle racks are visible near the pavement in the foreground.

Conference & leisure centre, designed by Module 2 and built 1984-87. For a gold star, spot the disinterested boyfriend.

Pearl Assurance House, Newton Abbot, 2025

A grey, weathered building labelled “PEARL ASSURANCE HOUSE” has a ground-floor shop called “Three Wishes” with star motifs. The shopfront has blue frames and display windows. The building sits at a street corner on a cloudy day, with railings and pedestrian crossings visible.

A three-storey building with a greenish-grey stone façade. The ground floor features the Phoenix Sounds shop, its window covered with art, flanked by a shop with glassware displays and a national bank with a cashpoint. The sky is overcast.

Details of Petersgate House, Stockport, 2025

A modern building facade with a grid of square windows set in dark, speckled panels. There are six rows of windows, and a streetlamp is visible in the foreground centred near the lower part of the image.

A textured building façade features three large mesh panels with bold white “V” shapes. A streetlamp stands in front, casting a shadow. The pavement below is wet, and two small no parking signs are visible on the dark brick wall.

The curse of the streetlamp strikes again.

Oakland House, Manchester, 2025

A close-up view of a modern building’s façade, showing multiple rows of rectangular windows set in dark frames. The walls between the windows are made of brown brick, creating a striped pattern with the alternating glass panes.

A tall, multi-storey office building with rows of large windows. The top of the building has the sign OAKLAND HOUSE. Trees and a streetlamp are visible in the foreground, and the sky behind is overcast.

A large, multi-storey office building with many rows of windows and a brick façade, viewed from a low angle. Trees with green leaves are in the foreground, and the sky above is overcast and grey.

Not, as Siri helpfully suggested, the Stockport Viaduct.

Buxton House & Huddersfield city centre, 2025

A tall, grey concrete block of flats with many windows stands behind a modern entrance labelled Buxton Way. The structure has a Brutalist architectural style, with boxy shapes and minimal decoration, beneath a partly cloudy blue sky.

A tall, brown and grey block of flats with many rectangular windows rises into a blue sky. At the base, a geometric mosaic art piece decorates the wall, featuring intersecting triangles in shades of blue, yellow, brown, and cream.

A Brutalist concrete building with tall, narrow vertical elements and dark stains beneath the windows. A modern block of flats is visible in the background, and a leafy tree is on the right under a partly cloudy blue sky.

A grey, weathered concrete building with narrow vertical windows is partially shaded by leafy trees. At street level, there are red and blue shop signs, including one reading Bargains. The sky above is bright and partly cloudy.

Former HSBC branch, Huddersfield, 2025

A modern building with brown-tinted glass windows and angular balconies, viewed from below against a clear blue sky. The structure features repeating geometric patterns and sharp lines, reflecting light and nearby surroundings.