#modernism — Page 13 of 17 — Modernist Delights

Renold Building, Manchester, 2024

A modern, gray office building with many windows and an external glass stairwell stands under a cloudy sky. In the foreground, a leafless tree with a few yellow leaves is visible. Other buildings can be seen in the background.

My beloved 🥰

William Temple Parish Church, Wythenshawe, Manchester, 2024

Four men stand on a paved path leading to a brick building with a sloped roof and multiple dormer windows under a blue sky with clouds. A white car is parked on the left and trees and grass surround the area. One man walks toward the entrance.

Large vertical windows with rectangular glass panes are set in a brick wall. The image is taken from inside, with daylight coming through, creating a strong contrast and making the interior appear dark and shadowed.

A modern church interior with red brick walls, wooden ceiling beams, and tall windows. The central altar features a white cloth and wooden elements. Wooden benches and a large cross hang above, with soft natural light illuminating the space.

A solid wooden door with vertical panels and black studs is set in a white brick wall. There is a small sign on the door that says “Clergy vestry” with a simple illustration of a church on it. The door has a modern silver handle.

A rectangular window with vertical and horizontal metal bars is set in a wall of multicolored, weathered bricks. The glass reflects a cloudy sky and faint outlines of nearby buildings and people.

Beales department store, Bournemouth, 2024

A large, curved, multi-story brick building with many horizontal windows stands on a busy city street. The sign reads “Beales.” People walk and sit in the foreground. The sun creates a bright halo behind the building under a partly cloudy sky.

The massive, looming presence of the Beales building, a former department store in Bournemouth.

Having gone bust in 2020, the Twentieth Century Society writes:

A planning application to convert most of the building to residential use was refused in 2016 because of a wish to retain retail floor space in the town’s primary shopping area against a backdrop of a sizable public campaign to retain Beales as a store – “I back BEALES.”

Look at how well that worked out! In July 2024, the building has been granted planning permission to convert it into housing with gym and pool, as well as three ground floor retail units. These will surely be of similar architectural value as those in Bristol & West House.

Bournemouth Echo building, 2024

A corner view of a 1930s-style Art Deco building with ECHO signs, clock tower, and large windows. The street has parked cars, bikes, trees, and red-brick Victorian buildings on the left. The sky is blue with scattered clouds.

Art Deco building with tan stone façade, tall central tower, vertical windows, and geometric lines. Large clock projects above blue double doors. ECHO sign on top. Tree at right, blue sky with clouds above, and a sidewalk and quiet street in front.

Lovely weather to see Bournemouth today actually, plenty to see here!

Harbourside beauty in Weymouth, 2024

A large, gray multi-story parking garage with vertical concrete slats stands under a cloudy sky. In front, there is a bus stop shelter displaying a digital ad and various signs. Bushes and street signs line the sidewalk alongside the road.

A multi-storey concrete car park with vertical slats and five visible levels. The entrance is at ground level, marked by a blue sign. Yellow directional arrows are painted on the road. Bushes and trees border the entrance, and a pay parking sign stands on the right.

A large, gray, concrete multi-story car park with vertical slats covers most of the frame. The sky is overcast, and the surrounding area has some greenery, street signs, and empty roads. A blue P parking sign is visible on the building.

Sherborne Library, 2024

A single-story building with a sign reading “Sherborne Library” stands behind tall hedges. A road in the foreground has STAFF ONLY painted on it. The sky is clear and blue, with autumn trees and trimmed grass visible around the library.

Audibly gasped when I saw the sign, the font feels very of the era with a quality modern fonts don’t have anymore.

On the Brasília of the North

A yellow exhibition poster features black text reading “Brasília of the North,” dates, and a surreal illustration of curved modernist concrete buildings on a grassy field under a cloudy sky. A floating letter D block hovers above the structures.

That brings our trip to Newcastle to a close. The last thing I wanted to highlight was the Brasília of the North exhibition at the Farrell Centre. We kindly got a preview of it the weekend before it opened, so my photos of it are not fit for public consumption, but I definitely recommend it.

An exhibition exploring the ideas, personalities and broader social, cultural and political climate that underpinned the aspirations to transform Newcastle into a modernist city.

It runs until 1 June 2025, is – ̗̀free ̖́- to visit, and included in it are several large scale models of Newcastle itself as well as select buildings in it – if that doesn’t sell it, I don’t know what will.

Cuthbert House, the remains and environs thereof, Newcastle, 2024

A stone railway bridge with two large arches stands beside a modern building. Metal scaffolding is attached to the bridge. Vines grow on the stonework, and construction materials are stacked below. Graffiti is visible on both the bridge and the nearby building.

A large, rectangular, concrete office building with many rows of blue-framed windows. Some windows are boarded up with wood, and there are visible stains on the building’s surface, suggesting age or neglect. The sky is cloudy.

A rundown building with boarded-up windows, blue window frames, and signs of neglect. The sign reads HOUSE with missing letters. Warning signs and a speed limit sign are on the wall. Debris, green sacks, and a broken mirror are visible in the dirty courtyard.

A blocked, sloping concrete path between stone walls leads to a city street. A metal fence and warning sign stop entry; wood planks and metal sheets lean on both sides. Across the street, a yellow taxi and black SUV are parked near a large gray building.

That jerry-rigged gate at the end is making me laugh to this day.

Manors Car Park, Newcastle, 2019

A curved, multi-level concrete parking structure with vertical white pillars overlooks a road ramp leading to and from the building. A few cars drive on the ramp. Overcast sky and a modern high-rise building appear in the background.

Here’s another photo of Manors Car Park from a previous trip. I am absolutely devoid of any photographic talent, or even skills (if any of the photos on this blog don’t have my fingers in the frame, it’s only because I cropped them out), but in this moment the shot just lined up right. Even the since-removed sign for the Metro Radio Arena looks right. I like it so much it’s been my iPad wallpaper for years.

Manors Car Park, Newcastle, 2024

A curved, multi-level road descends alongside a tall concrete barrier on the left. A modern, rectangular building with many windows is in the background. Cars are visible below, and the sky is partly cloudy, creating a mix of light and shadow.

A curved, fenced pedestrian ramp with streetlights winds upward under a cloudy sky. Vertical concrete pillars line the outside, and the image is viewed through red metal bars in the foreground. The pavement appears empty and slightly damp.

A multi-level spiral parking garage ramp with concrete columns and metal railings. Sunlight casts shadows across the surfaces, and a Drive Slowly sign is visible. Colorful graffiti buildings and greenery can be seen through the gaps outside.

A multi-level concrete parking structure with tall vertical bars, winding ramps, and sunlight streaming through clouds above. Greenery is visible on the ground to the left, and city buildings are in the background behind the structure.

Curved ramp inside a multi-story car park with concrete beams and vertical windows letting in sunlight. A yellow pillar on the right has a blue directional arrow sign pointing left. City buildings and a blue sky are visible through the windows.

A curved, dimly lit concrete ramp with metal railings and vertical bars on the side, showing green plants growing through the bars. Light streams in from the left, and a ceiling light is visible above, creating a mix of shadow and natural light.

A close-up view of two adjacent concrete parking garages with multiple floors and open-air designs. Vertical and horizontal beams frame each level, and metal railings run along the edges. The sky is partly visible at the top left.

A large concrete overpass curves above an empty parking lot with vertical pillars supporting the structure. Sunlight creates shadows, and a multi-story parking garage with open gaps lines the right side. The overall scene appears urban and deserted.

A modern, curving concrete overpass and elevated roadway stand above a parking area. Traffic cones line the road on the left. The sky is bright blue with scattered clouds, and a tall brick building rises in the background.

Manors has to be my favourite car park yet. This wasn’t my first visit to it, of course, I don’t decide my favourite car parks on a whim! I’ve used this phrase before, I’m sure, but there’s just something pleasantly geometric about the whole space — not just the upright and cross beams of the car park itself, which repeat in such a mesmerising pattern, but how it fits into the space, too, and how the A167(M), the junction off it, and the pedestrian foot bridge (which affords great views of the car park) fits around its curves too. We were lucky to see it just as the sun came out after a rather grey morning, it looked extra beautiful.

The plaque at the entrance says “Manors Car Park — The first civic multi-storey car park in Newcastle Upon Tyne was opened on 27th July 1971 by Alderman Arthur Grey, leader of the city council.”