#municipal buildings — Modernist Delights

Cotswold House, Torquay, 2025

A large, grey, concrete office building with four storeys of windows is shown under a partly cloudy sky. Cars are parked in front at ground level, where a sign reading Cotswold is visible above a parking area.

A black car is parked beside an empty parking space with a metal barrier. Behind them is a building with large windows, visible stairs inside, grey brick and concrete walls, and a CCTV camera above the middle window. Trees are on the right edge.

A grey concrete office building with rows of windows is shown. Three cars are parked in front, and a stairway is seen at the left. Trees and blue sky with clouds appear above the roof, and sunlight highlights parts of the building.

Largely anonymous 60’s/70’s Department for Work and Pensions call centre, replacing an “elegant” 1840s villa of the same name. Nonetheless, there is something pleasing about a building fitting in so well into a hilly area.

Crimson columns of Council House, Plymouth, 2025

A concrete building facade with tall vertical windows, some with closed blinds and one open window. The lower level has grey stone and vertical bars. Reflections of clouds and city buildings appear in the glass. A single red pillar stands in the centre.

A cylindrical column covered in small red tiles stands between two large windows with vertical white blinds. The column casts a slight shadow, and reflections of buildings and cars are visible in the glass behind it. The scene appears urban and modern.

The “Crimson Columns of Council House” will be in session with Steve Lamacq on 6 Music this afternoon.

Princess Theatre, Torquay, 2025

A large white building labelled “Princess Theatre” in blue letters. Several blue doors and vertical lines decorate the exterior. Palm trees and benches sit outside, with a hillside and overcast sky in the background. No people are present.

A modern glass-fronted building labelled Princess Theatre with large rounded windows, white trim, and ramp access. Posters are visible near the entrance. In the background, a Ferris wheel and hillside buildings can be seen under a cloudy sky.

Designed by F. T. W. Nixon & G. R. Todd Architects for Torquay Council, opening in 1961. As is so often the case, possibly more attractive from the back.

Cundy Park Play Building, Docklands, London, 2025

A small, single-storey red brick building with a sloping roof sits behind a tall metal fence. There are two turquoise doors and signs on the front, with overcast skies and trees in the background. The building faces a quiet, empty road.

Breaking up the monotony of the first day back in the office with a shabby little municipal park building.

Lancaster Police Station, 2025

A four-storey building with a facade of yellowish-brown panels and many rectangular windows, set against a clear blue sky. There is a no entry road sign at the front, and sunlight casts shadows on the building and pavement.

A low-angle view of a tan, modern building with large rectangular windows reflecting trees and sky. Sunlight filters through green-yellow leaves above. On the left, a parked white car and a yellow sign are visible in the distance.

One of Roger Booth’s lesser known police stations in the autumn sunshine.