#modernism

Page 4

New Century House, Manchester, March 2020

Looking up at an octagonal stained glass skylight with a geometric, colorful pattern. The ceiling around it is white with visible peeling paint and some cracks, suggesting age and wear. The stained glass glows with natural light filtering through.

A dim, narrow hallway with dirty, peeling cream-colored walls leads to two doorways at the end. The left door is labeled with a restroom sign. The floor is bare and scuffed, and the atmosphere appears old and neglected.

A slightly open, old window with peeling paint reveals a stone balcony railing outside. Blue sky with scattered clouds is visible above the railing. Beige curtains hang to the right, and sunlight casts soft shadows inside.

A hallway with beige walls and missing ceiling panels leads to a set of double wooden doors opening into a large, empty industrial space with worn floors and visible ceiling beams. Exposed wires hang from the hallway ceiling. The scene appears abandoned.

An empty, spacious room under renovation with exposed ceiling grids, blue carpet, scattered debris, and white columns. Two people walk near the right side, and large windows along the walls let in natural light. The space appears to be in an office building.

View through a window showing nearby multi-story buildings with white brick facades and large windows. The sky is partly cloudy, and city streets are visible below. Some reflections and smudges appear on the glass.

A small, brown metal spiral staircase ends abruptly at a ceiling opening in a worn stairwell. The wall beside it has large patches of peeling paint. A person in a black hat stands in the foreground, partially visible.

A group of people in coats stand inside a large, mostly empty room with wood-paneled walls and a dramatic ceiling covered in rectangular acoustic panels. The floor appears unfinished, and some scattered furniture and a whiteboard are visible along the wall.

A sign on a beige wall reads New Century House, Floor LG. Below, it lists Staff Facilities: Staff Restaurant, Staff Shop, Strollers Deli Bar, and Sports + Social Club. The sign has black, blue, and gray sections.

If I posted this 2 days ago when I meant to, it would’ve been 5 years to the day, too!

Posted on March 6, 2025.

Ellen Wilkinson Building, Manchester, 2022

A four-story modern building with large rectangular windows framed in black and some outlined in orange. The entrance has glass doors, a canopy, and a sign. In front, there are green shrubs, a black railing, and a paved pathway leading to the door.

There’s more of it, from 2024, here.

And as if on cue, Steve Marland has posted some archive pictures of it, too.

Posted on February 26, 2025.

Stonebow Centre, York, 2022

A modern, multi-story concrete and glass building with balconies, set above a street with bus stops and people waiting. Signs reading TO LET are visible in the windows. The sky is clear and the scene looks urban and busy.

I prefer it in black & white.

Posted on February 21, 2025.

Bold Street Methodist Church, Warrington, 2025

A red-brick church with tall narrow windows and a large cross on its facade stands behind a leafless tree. Cars are parked along the building. In front, there is a grassy park area with shrubs, a black trash bin, and fallen leaves. The sky is clear and blue.

Posted on February 13, 2025.

Modernism in Warrington on a sunny winter afternoon, 2025

A five-story rectangular building with brown and white horizontal stripes stands on a sunny street. Bare trees line the sidewalk, and several parked cars are visible. The sky is clear blue, and a fenced area is in the foreground on the right.

A large, modern four-story office building with many windows. The ground floor has a Outset Café with tables outside and a sign reading meet. eat. work. A few cars are parked in front, and leafless trees and green grass are visible in the foreground.

Posted on February 11, 2025.

William Penny’s Almshouses, Lancaster, 2025

Check out the concrete planters beneath the windows!

A three-story apartment building with rectangular windows and a flat roof sits behind a sloped grassy lawn. Potted plants are visible on window ledges. Bare tree branches frame the image above, and an old brick wall and metal gate are in the foreground.

Posted on February 1, 2025.

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.

Posted on January 30, 2025.

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.

Posted on January 6, 2025.

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)

Posted on January 2, 2025.

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.

Posted on December 14, 2024.