#office block — Modernist Delights

Kingsgate, Stockport, 2026

A large, dark brick office building with horizontal white stripes and rows of windows stands in sunlight. Several cars are parked in an almost empty car park in front of the building. The sky is clear with a few clouds, and some trees are visible.

CIS Tower and New Century Hall, Manchester, 2026

A city street with cars driving and tall, modern office buildings with glass windows under a cloudy sky. To the right, an older stone building with a curved façade is visible. Pedestrians walk on pavements and zebra crossings in the foreground.

Telephone House, Lancaster, 2025

A boarded-up, beige four-storey office building labelled TELEPHONE HOUSE stands on a quiet street, with a yellow skip in front. The windows are broken or missing, and leafless trees line the pavement. The sky is partly cloudy and blue.

A five-storey, rectangular, tan-brick building with many windows, some boarded up, under a blue sky. A metal fire escape is attached. The building looks abandoned, and some lower windows are damaged. Neighbouring buildings and trees are partially visible.

A large, abandoned brick building with boarded-up lower windows, many broken upper windows, and overgrown vegetation in front. A metal fire escape is attached to the left side. The sky is blue with clouds.

A black SUV is parked beside a fenced building. The sun is setting behind a brick building with metal staircases. Shadows and reflections are visible on the windows, and the sky is partly cloudy with yellow and blue hues.

Telephone House, once home to a BT customer service centre, received planning permission for conversion into apartments in 2024, alas, the apartments did not materialise. Until then, it’s just a source of phone signal woes.

One more interesting tidbit, from the article above:

During the Cold War, the basement of Telephone House housed an emergency bunker to be used in the event of a nuclear strike on the Lancaster district. Although the bunker didn’t ‘officially’ exist, it was common knowledge amongst staff who worked there until the basement area was cleared towards the end of the ’80s.

Beaufort Court, Canary Wharf, London

Modern multi-storey office building with large glass windows, angular balconies, and external staircases. Surrounded by high-rise buildings, parked cars, and leafless trees. Two no entry signs and a bicycle are visible near the entrance on a cloudy day.

Modern concrete building with multiple staggered balconies and white railings, viewed from below. The structure has sharp angles and visible weathering. In the background, taller buildings and a blue sky with scattered clouds are visible.

64 Essex Road, Islington, London, 2025

Three-storey brick building with large vertical windows, geometric brick pattern around windows, a grocery shop named Mint Organic at street level. Several people stand and walk near the entrance. Bicycles are parked outside. The number 64 is visible.

Former Victorian warehouse with an attractive brick façade.

Lloyds Bank, Upper Street, Islington, London, 2025

Three city buildings: a white OFFICE shoe shop, a grey LLOYDS BANK with glass doors and steps, and a brown-brick Holland & Barrett. People walk by on the pavement; leafless trees stand in front. Sky is cloudy.

If anybody knows what sign once hung in the now-ghostly position at the top of the building, please let me know or it’ll bug me forever.

Modernist Tesco, Glasgow, 2025

A Tesco Express shopfront with a white and blue sign is set in a grey, industrial building with large glass windows. Graffiti covers the doors and walls. The pavement in front is empty and the sky above is cloudy.

Wedgwood Building, Stafford, 2025

Low-angle view of a multi-storey brick building with large rectangular windows, some open. The facade features vertical concrete columns and patterned stone panels. The sky above is partly cloudy. A security camera is mounted near the bottom corner.

Springfield House, Chelmsford, 2025

A row of three-storey commercial buildings with shops on the ground floor, including Rohan and RUN Active, under a clear blue sky. People walk along the brick-paved pedestrian street, and leafy trees line the pavement.

A four-storey brown brick office building with two glass doors at the ground level, flanked by retail shops. A purple “To Let” sign hangs above the entrance. The building has many windows, some reflecting the blue sky.

A three-storey building with boarded-up top-floor windows, large white-framed windows on the middle and lower floors, and a colourful geometric mural along the bottom, with painted signs advertising indoor games like escape rooms and shuffleboard.

Derelict office block for a sunny Saturday afternoon.

Friars House, Chelmsford, 2025

A five-storey modern building with geometric grey facade patterns, large windows, and ground-floor shops. Cars and a van are parked in front. Hanging flower baskets decorate the street, and adjacent buildings frame the scene.

Former office block converted into housing, with an extra storey (dare I say, penthouse?) added. Check out the signage on the Christian bookshop in this photo from 2011.