#modernism

New Century House, Manchester, 2020

The image shows modern buildings with large glass windows and metal frames. A glass walkway connects two structures. The sky is overcast, casting a grayish light on the scene. The architecture is geometric with clean lines and a minimalist style.

Hard to photograph Superdrug, Cantenbury, 2023

This hard to photograph Superdrug on a sloping street isn’t going to win any awards for photography, but the zig-zag roof and first-floor glazing are architecturally excellent.

A modern Superdrug store with large windows and a zigzag roof sits on a quiet city street. People walk past, and a bicycle is parked nearby. The sky is partly cloudy, and adjacent buildings have concrete and brick exteriors.

Reading: The Council House by Jack Young

A book titled The Council House lies on a wooden floor. The cover features a photograph of a modernist building with concrete and glass panels. The book is published by Hoxton Mini Press, as indicated at the bottom of the cover.

An open book lies on a wooden surface, displaying a page titled 36 Broadwater Farm Estate with descriptive text on the left and a photograph of modern, angular grey buildings surrounded by greenery on the right.

Picked this up on a whim at the Barbican Shop after my last visit, and I’m glad I did. There’s a lot to enjoy here, all of it absolutely beautifully photographed. All my faves are at the beginning, so read in reverse if you want to finish on a high.

Links (affiliate): Amazon UK (£15.35), Bookshop.org (£18.95)

Spiral staircase at Sovereign House, Anglia Square, Norwich, 2024

A modernist building with angular lines and a glass cylindrical stairwell rises above street level, catching sunlight. Below, shopfronts including Quality Discounts are visible. The sky is clear and blue, with a few wispy clouds overhead.

Definitely want to see more of this city, will have to come back in 2025 (and hopefully at a more reasonable temperature, and hopefully before they demolish this beauty!).

This post full of photos of Sovereign House from an urbex standpoint is well worth taking a look at, too.

Housing in Halifax, 2024

A tall, beige apartment building stands behind a concrete wall. In front, six cars—black, red, and white—are parked in marked spaces. The sky is overcast, and a sign on the wall reads “Parking For Residents Only.”.

A brutalist concrete spiral staircase with rounded edges and built-in lights juts out from a brick building. A blue column supports part of the stairs. The structure is weathered and sits beside a narrow alley with stone walls. The sky is overcast.

Close-up of a cylindrical, weathered concrete structure with two stacked sections, supported by a blue column. Surrounding it are yellow-brown brick and concrete buildings, with a tall modern apartment block in the background. The sky is overcast.

Wetherspoon’s, Oswestry, 2024

A three-story, grey modernist building with large windows houses “The Wilfred Owen,” a Wetherspoon Free House pub. Flower baskets hang by the entrance, bikes are parked outside, and stairs lead to glass doors. The sky is overcast.

There’s something very funny about Wetherspoons having an article on their website about the pub and Oswestry at large, in quite a lot of detail, full of photographs of photos seemingly taken at what must be the local museum? Sure, why not! It also includes a picture of this pub which manages to make it look even more bleak, against all odds.