#not modernist still a delight — Modernist Delights

Gorse Hill Park entrance gates, Manchester, 2025

Black metal gates with a sunburst design and star accents mark the entrance to Gorse Hill Park. “Gorse Hill Park” is displayed vertically on stone pillars on each side. Trees and a paved path are visible beyond the gates.

Spiral staircase at Manchester Victoria railway station, 2025

A green metal spiral staircase with mesh railings stands outdoors, sheltered partially by round roofs. It is attached to a modern building, next to a fence and construction barriers, with a cloudy sky and city buildings in the background.

Carr House Lane bridge, Lancaster, 2025

A narrow tarmac path curves under a stone railway bridge with overhead electric wires. Trees with autumn leaves and green bushes line the sides. A cloudy sky looms above. Metal railings and a blue sign are visible near the tunnel entrance.

Oxford Botanic Garden, 2025

A view of the inside of a glasshouse showing a metal and glass frame structure. The glass panels are foggy and streaked with water, indicating humidity or recent rain. Some green plants are visible in the lower left corner. The sky outside looks overcast.

A glass glasshouse surrounded by lush green plants sits under a cloudy sky. In the background, a tall, historic stone tower with pointed spires rises above the trees. The scene appears calm and overcast.

Tall, spiky cacti and leafy plants grow inside a large glasshouse with metal framework and glass panes. The sky appears grey outside, and the silhouette of the plants is prominent against the light filtering through the glass roof.

It’s not modernist, I realise that, but I have a weakness for thin-framed aluminium windows, especially where plants are involved.

Central Backpackers Hostel, Oxford, 2025

The photo is set on a city street, capturing the street, pavement, and a single bollard in the middle of the shot, and shows the entrance to a hostel. A square section of a large, white, unassuming brick wall is painted bright baby blue, with yellow and dark red detailing. A dark red diamond above the make-shift entrance arch reads OXFORD BACKPACKERS in a whimsical font.

They could be handing out free concrete in there, you are NOT getting me into a hostel for love nor money.

Aldersgate Court, City of London, 2025

An angular brick 90's housing block. A dark shadow is cast across the rightmost side of it by taller buildings out of view.

This 90’s housing block is by no definition modernist, but the shadows cast in this narrow alleyway were impossible to resist.

On the New Jersey Turnpike

A love letter to a motorway (sorry, turnpike) in the New York Times (gift link) feels as if it was written specifically for me.

“In the interest of good health, digest a few important facts about the potato” — Informational poster for the Potato Marketing Board, likely dating back to the 80’s or 90’s, displayed in a closed cafe in the Kirkdale Shopping Centre, Bradford, 2025.

Moody Rochdale Canal, Manchester, 2025

Not modernist, but I have a sweet spot for canals.

Stockport Exchange Station Car Park, 2024

A multi-level parking garage at night is brightly lit, with rows of parked cars visible through open sides. Streetlights illuminate the foreground, where a person walks near several parked vehicles. The surrounding area appears quiet and clean.

Not modernist, but I like how this one turned out.