#urban decay — Page 4 of 5 — Modernist Delights

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!

Car parking stairwell, Anglia Square shopping centre, Norwich, 2024

A tall concrete and glass stairwell rises alongside a red and white striped multi-story parking garage under a clear blue sky. Below, a Savers store and other shops are visible under a beige overhang decorated with hanging lights.

We got so lucky with the light! The Savers looking positively resplendent.

Centre Managers Office Suite, Anglia Square, Norwich, 2024

A brick building with a glass door labeled Centre Managers Office Suite. Inside, a brown chair sits near a staircase. Theres a blue CCTV OPERATES IN THIS AREA sign on the wall. The building shows signs of wear, with some peeling paint above.

Decaying former garage, Lancaster, 2024

A weathered stone building features a blue sign reading D.C. Wilson - Brewery Lane Garage - TEL: 67494. The garage door is closed, windows are boarded, and foliage grows nearby. An old yellow danger sign and overcast sky suggest neglect and disuse.

Utility block, Morecambe, 2024

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me: a sunlit utility block at the back of a funfair in Morecambe.

A circular, tiled concrete structure with a metal door stands on grass. Its blue and green mosaic tiles are faded. Behind it are a white camper, a yellow amusement ride, a deflated inflatable hat, and a building labeled COOPERS AMUSEMENTS.

Cloudy riparian ruin in the Docklands, London, 2024

A large, abandoned white building with broken windows stands on a waterfront under a cloudy, overcast sky. The water is calm, and industrial structures are visible in the distant background. The building appears weathered and partly deteriorated.

Single glazing in Stowmarket, 2024

A street scene features a three-story corner building with brown brick and white panels. Shops include Handy Hardware and Argos. People walk by on a wet, cloudy day. Festive tree lights hang from lamp posts, and nearby stores are visible on either side.

Decaying office building in Halifax, 2024

A three-story building with worn, peeling paint on the upper facade, large rectangular windows, and orange mosaic panels. One window is open, and the entrance has a black canopy reading TIMEFORM. The door is boarded up with plywood; some shrubs are in front.

Timeform House, a decaying office building in Halifax. All yours to lease for £3,333pcm. I’d happily have that shelving unit in my own house – picture courtesy of Rightmove.

A spacious, modern office with long desks lined with computers, chairs, and office supplies. Wooden cabinets and shelves cover one wall. The room is brightly lit by fluorescent ceiling lights and large windows. The office appears empty of people.

Fencing on Dallas Road, Lancaster, 2024

A small, ivy-covered building with a corrugated metal roof sits in front of larger stone houses. The green gate to the right is weathered, and four black-yellow bollards line the pavement. Bushes and scaffolding are visible behind the building under a cloudy sky.

This was a high risk mission because a few weeks ago I fell on my arse on this slippery tree-lined road with such a thud a couple a street away turned back to check on me, but the barbed fencing on the right made me stop urgently and take a picture.

Back office in Romford, 2024

A glass-walled security booth juts out over a dim passageway. The booth sits above ground, supported by concrete, with fluorescent lights and a sign inside. The area below is shadowy, with tile and textured concrete walls and ceilings.

A decrepit room inside a weird structure over an foul-smelling tunnel in Romford, East London. One thing you had to be there to experience was the sight of a framed portrait of Queen Elizabeth II visible through the windows.