I had spent the day in Southampton in May, the first area I explored was Wyndham Court.
At the end of a long day I found myself there again, with an hour to spare before my train back to Bournemouth.
The sky was no longer blue, the sun was now occluded.
The photographs were almost monotone, so with a small tweak I made them monochrome.
Designed by Lyons Israel Ellis for Southampton City Council in 1966, ED Lyons being the partner in charge and architects Frank Linden and Aubrey Hume also assigned to the job.
The structural engineers were Hajnal-Konyi and Myers and the firm of builders was G Minter.
Lyons Israel Ellis, though well known as a finishing school for the famed likes of Stirling, Gowan, Colquhoun et al, were the sort of Brutalists that didn’t get Yale scholarships, shiny monographs or late careers in pomo. They are found more often designing local authority housing, comprehensive schools and other unsexy things – most of them robust enough to be extant and in good nick. From their Old Vic extension through to the London School of Engineering, they were giants of big, chunky, angular neo-constructivist architecture rife with skylines, cantilevers and complex geometries, all in satisfyingly raw, tactile concrete. As Colquhoun later put it, this was architecture for those who had nothing but contempt for ‘the Englishness of English art’ and other consolatory narratives.
Their masterpiece, Wyndham Court, ought to be as well-known as the Brunswick Centre or the Barbican, and isn’t largely because of where it is. It is a monumental, civic housing project on the grandest scale. As a building, it shows more than a hint of rhetoric creeping into LIE’s usually astringent aesthetic. Placed just outside Southampton Central Station with a fine view of the docks, its service tower skyline and long, streamlined volumes have more than a hint of the ocean liner about them. Here they arc around a square, with shops on the ground floor, high-density-city centre living for council tenants rather than as an aspirational loft-living lifestyle. A magnificent vote of confidence in a city which has built little of note since, it’s also, for me, the building that announces that I’m ‘home’ far less depressingly than BDP’s repugnant West Quay shopping centre on the other side of the railway line – a massive concrete statement that another city was and still is possible.
It’s been four years since our 2022 Wigan Walk – so time to see if there has been a refreshing change.
Beginning with a trip to the former flicks, the Princes Cinema now trading as Pure nightclub, sometimes home to Singo Bingo.
Originally the site of New Princes Theatre, opened on the 1st May 1911, the cinema was demolished and replaced, on an adjacent plot, by Princes Cinema in 1933.
Ofd special note the adjacent Electrical Substation of the day.
Plus extra added military history.
Seventies
Tucked in behind the Telephone Exchange are several streets of Edwardian social housing – the Spring Gardens Scheme of 1905.
The property is practically paying its way, and all the present generation has to find is a small sum of ninety odd pounds for sinking funds. For this we get fifty-nine families decently housed, the rateable value of the town increased, a slum abolished, an eyesore removed, the health of the inhabitants remarkably improved, their environment made clean, refined, and elevating, whilst our successors in 1959 will inherit an unencumbered estate.
It was demolished in 1985 as part of a wider redevelopment of the town centre to make way for the Galleries Shopping Centre. A new bus station, built at a cost of £2.3 million, began construction in April 1986, and opened in November 1987.
Wikipedia
Transport for Greater Manchester commissioned Austin-Smith:Lordto design a replacement nineteen stand £15.7m bus station in Wigan Town Centre, the project was completed in October 2018.
DJ Russ Winstanley was a former pupil, here he is in 1975 at the Wigan Casino holding up a copy of Footsee by Wigan’s Chosen Few b/w Seven Days Too Long by Chuck Wood.
Across the way to Scholes Comprehensive Development 1964
Five thirteen-storey tower blocks adjacent to Douglas House in Scholes were approved in 1964. Lower-rise housing and flats spread to the east. In 1968, a further 13-storey block, Boyswell House, was built at this eastern end of the Scholes Comprehensive Development Area. Almost 500 slum houses, housing 566 families, were demolished that same year and 581 new council homes completed.
Next to the Roger Booth cop shop that became a Premier Inn.
A super-comfy bed, blackout curtains, a powerful shower and free Wi-Fi – our double rooms have everything you’ll need for a great night’s sleep.
Next door the Wigan & Leigh Courthouse 1992 Wigan MBC Architect.
Relief figure of justice by Christine Ward.
Onward to Brocol House – currently home to the Job Centre
Image – Wigan Peers
Originally built for the Inland Revenue one the site of the Brewers Arms – has the welcoming charm shared by the majority of Ministry of Works buildings of the period.
Nearly done – up the road to the County Playhouse.
The club’s atmosphere is defined by thumping musicand a vibrant crowd eager to dance and celebrate. Its modern interior design complements the lively ambience, creating an inviting space for locals and visitors alike.
Construction began on the County Playhouse in 1916. However, due to a shortage of materials and labour during World War I, it was not completed until 1919.
Finally opened on 22nd December 1919 with The Hun Within – starring Dorothy Gish.
The County Playhouse closed on Sunday 13th November 1966 with Disney’s “The Sword and the Stone”. It was taken over by the Leeds Based Star Cinemas chain and they converted it into Star Bingo and Social Club opened on 24th November 1966.
MAS sales store 1982 – Frank Orrell Photography
The building has since been used as a discount store and Playhouse Club Café. It then became home to the 1,200 capacity Pure Nightclub. In the early-2000’s it became the Ibiza nightclub. The Pure nightclub move into the former Princes Cinema
Time for a swift half in The George to end your tour?
Great for a local pint one of the cheapest in Wigan I believe, slightly rough at times but no fights just real local people who are generally friendly. Proper drinking gaff, and karaoke on certain nights.
1971 built of a pre-cast concrete panel system, dour, on an awkwardly sloping site.
I beg to differ – what’s the opposite of dour?
So says the online Thesaurus – and I heartily concur, for the whole building has had a makeover and a half.
Civic is a super energy-efficient workspace in the centre of Wigan town centre. The BREEAM Excellent building has space for business of all sizes, from desks for solo start-ups, all the way to big open plan offices with their own front door.
The brutalist beast has been lovingly restored by Capital&Centric to celebrate its architecture, with original waffle ceilings, corduroy concrete and stunning feature windows that flood the space with light.
It was great to visit and tour Wigan Civic Centre on Millgate, to see the inspiring work being done to create sustainable workspaces and amenities in the centre of our town. This development, alongside others taking place and planned across the North West, will help to revitalise our public spaces
With students, start-ups and professionals situating themselves elsewhere in Greater Manchester, Wigan town had been missing out on the economic and cultural vitality that high quality workspace brings. Civic’s transformation represents not just the overhaul of a tired concrete building, but a wider renewal of place and opportunity for Wigan.
Working with Wigan Council and Capital & Centric, we completed the refurbishment of the 50,000 sq ft building that is Wigan Civic Centre. Delivering aspirational office accommodation to stimulate economic growth with the goal to create a lasting social impact in Wigan. In addition to exemplar market-leading workspace, amenities include a rooftop terrace, mini cinema, gym studio and co-working/coffee shop space.
Here’s the exterior.
Many thanks to the Cotton CaféBar for kindly allowing us in after hours.
Ultimately, civic stands as a symbol of optimism for Wigan, proving that intelligent commercial design can catalyse economic renewal, secure a sustainable future, and truly lift a town’s spirits, without erasing its history. It is a gold standard for the adaptive reuse of 20th-century landmarks.
Poole Dolphin Leisure Centre offers a modern gym with sixty stations, four pools including a main, teaching and diving pool, plus award-winning swimming and diving lessons. Enjoy casual swims, fitness sessions and a wide range of group classes for all ages. After your workout, relax in our sauna and experience fitness, fun and wellbeing all in one place.
I can’t speak for the facilities, or their general cleanliness, I don’t swim or have much time for leisure.
Walking around looking at things, taking pictures, chatting and such is my lifestyle choice and preoccupation.
So here’s a snapshot of the centre’s exterior, with particular attention paid to the concrete relief.
As an aside the nearby Dolphin Shopping Centre was once known as The Arndale.
In 1957 discussions began about creating a covered in shopping centre in the heart of Poole town centre, in a similar vein to those popular at the time in America. In 1963 property developers were invited by Poole Corporation to present schemes to develop this shopping centre as part of a redevelopment of the town.
The winning scheme was for a two million pound redevelopment by the Arndale Property Trust on land at High Street, Seldown Lane and Kingland Road] known as the Ladies Walking Field. One of the main reasons Arndale won was that their proposal incorporated a fully enclosed shopping centre. The scheme was to be designed by Leslie Jones and Partners in association with Geoffrey Hopkinson; Poole Borough Architect and Chief Planning Officer, the structural engineers were to be Bowden Sillett and Partners and the main contractors were to be Sir Lindsay Parkinson and Company.
The transformation of Poole Town Centre started in June 1966 when work began on a new road layout and construction of the shopping centre commenced in March 1967 when the then Mayor of Poole, Alderman Ron Hart, dug the first turf.
In 1989 an eight million pound refurbishment programme was carried out on the centre, which emerged with a new name ; The Dolphin Shopping Centre.
In February 2025, reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete RAAC was found at the shopping centre. The final Beales department store in the UK will close at the end of May 2025.
To ensure the shopping centre remains popular and well occupied, the owner LGIM Real Assets is investing in the redevelopment of the internal malls and various retail buildings within the site. Designed by tp bennett, a programme of refurbishment is underway with the aim of delivering a more exciting and modern retail experience to help attract shoppers and retailers. The scheme includes new stores for H&M, New Look and JD Sports as well a new mixed-use leisure development, with a multiplex cinema, restaurants and a refreshed public realm.
It will be a huge transformation and there is a real local desire for it.
Part of wider improvement works in Poole, it is hoped that this major investment will enhance the customer experience, and reinforce the centre as a popular, family-friendly retail and entertainment destination.
Barclays House was constructed by Barclays bank from 1972 to 1975 as part of a move to decentralise its offices from London.
The structure, was designed in the Brutalist style by architects Wilson, Mason and Partners. It consists of three main wings, each octagonal in plan, and dominates the town centre skyline.
Barclays first occupied the office in January 1976. The building’s basement is below sea level and is often flooded or damp, which prevented its use by the bank for storage. The structure has also sunk over time due to its significant mass
Barclays left the site in January 2022 and put the structure up for sale by sealed bid auction. The highest bidder was Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council but they withdrew from the purchase in September 2022.
BCP offered £17 million, almost three times more than the next highest bidder, thought to be Fortitudo at £6.5 million, who wanted to demolish the structure and build three apartment towers.
In February 2023, boarding was put up around the building and the Bournemouth Daily Echo reported that a new buyer had been found. In November 2023, proposals for redevelopment to residential use were announced, 362 flats are proposed for the building.
Town hall planner Gareth Ball has given the go-ahead for VCRE Four Poole Limited to convert the historic building into a 362-bedroom apartment block.
No parking spaces will be available for the future residents, as noted by BCP case officer Mr Ball as being in accordance with the council’s rules. Instead, the development will come with 488 cycle spaces – or one space for every resident. The scheme will feature a gym, communal workspace, squash courts, a games room with table tennis, pool, video games, surfboard storage and a rooftop garden.
Barclays House was bought last year for £5.3 million, according to documents.
Here are the photographs I took in May 2026 – incorporating the multi storey car park.
But what of the future?
This recent ARC projectinvolves transforming the former Barclays building in Poole into 362 modern residential flats while preserving the existing building’s façade. This project focuses on revitalising a heritage landmark by repurposing it with innovative designs that offer easy access to public transport, exceed space standards for comfort and practicality, and create a strong sense of community through shared internal and external amenities.
After twenty years, the waterproofing on the top deck of the busy Avenue Road council car park in Bournemouth was failing. Water was penetrating the structure and dripping onto users’ cars on the lower levels and also into a tenant’s offices situated below. More importantly, this was affecting the structural integrity of the car park.
Being close to the sea, the car park is subjected to highly corrosive moisture and salt levels, which if left unprotected could cause long term structural damage. And indeed, further investigation by the contractors Concrete Repairs Ltd. and Triflex’s Technical Team revealed that part of the concrete substrate was cracking and failing causing potential health and safety issues.
As a result, the council needed to refurbish the car park and have a reliable waterproofing solution that would extend the car park’s service life. In addition, this work needed to be finished before the start of the busy summer tourist period.
Concrete Repairs Ltd. and the Triflex Technical Team visited the site to complete an extensive site survey. Testing was also conducted to determine the suitability and compatibility of the substrate and the requirements for its preparation. Triflex DeckFloor was specified for the decks with DeckFloor Ramp System to provide a more aggressive aggregate was to the ramps and inclined areas of the car park. The ramp system incorporates emery aggregate which provides additional traction for those harder wearing areas.
Always a pleasure to walk the spiral ramp of a multi-storey car park, with the extra added pleasure of a passing motorist enquiring after my well being.
“Are You Lost?”
“No I’m taking pictures, but thanks anyway, if I ever am lost I’ll certainly know who to ask.”
Something of an anomaly, combining accommodation with a leisure facility.
The Outlook is ideally suited to students looking for quality, self catering, en suite accommodation in central Bournemouth, just a minute’s walk from the town’s excellent amenities.
The student accommodation has recently completed a comprehensive refurbishment, the work which included considerable redesign, new furnishings and decoration.
Excitingly close to Oasis Fun Bournemouth’s No.1 indoor fun centre.
Want to keep the kids entertained?
Then why not visit Oasis Fun today for a fun-filled experience for the whole family. We have an amazing bowling alley with six lanes, an indoor soft play centre, large Adventure Golf course, arcades and pool tables. Oh, and we have a café serving snacks and a fully licensed bar.
Wyndham Court is a block of social housing in Southampton which opened in 1970.
It was designed by Lyons Israel Ellis for Southampton City Council in 1966, ED Lyons being the partner in charge and architects Frank Linden and Aubrey Hume also assigned to the job. The structural engineers were Hajnal-Konyi and Myers and the firm of builders was G Minter.
It is located near Southampton Central station and the Mayflower Theatre. Wyndham Court includes 184 flats, three cafes or restaurants and 13 shops, and was completed in 1969.
It is built from reinforced concrete and finished with white board-marked concrete, with narrow bands painted horizontally between windows and the partition walls that separate the apartments’ balconies. Because it is built on a hill, the building has six storeys at its northern end and seven at the southern. There is an underground car park which was constructed from the basements of previous buildings on the site
This was my very first visit on my day out in Southampton having also taken a look around Nelsons Gate.
Walking around the building I was quickly engaged by two residents, emerging from their concrete clad home. Assuming that I was from the Council, I was given a lurid account of rodent infestation, faulty locks, open doors and all manner of ills. Having explained my unfortunate lack of municipal affiliation, we parted amicably as we went our respective ways.
The flat itself is situated within this large purpose built block, benefits with this particular block include secure entrance system and lift access to each floor. This particular flat is found on the 4th floor and offers a private front door, as you enter the hallway leads round to a large living room which has plenty of space for dining as well, the kitchen is separate but has been cleverly designed to include an large opening hatch that creates the feeling of open plan to this area. The kitchen is clean and tidy and is supplied with the white goods including a brand new washing machine.
The main living space has lovely big windows that not only offers lots of natural light but also offers a stunning viewing, where you can see glimpses of the Cruise liners docking. The bedroom is accessible by multiple doors either from the living room or hallway, the bedroom is a great size and also features nice big windows, along with plenty of storage. Back into the hallway there are two useful storage cupboards and last but not least a fully tiled bathroom with shower and bath. Further benefits with the flat include electric heating and external storage cupboard next to the front door, the block also boosts a communal garden which is a nice place to sit and enjoy some fresh air.
Wyndham Court, ought to be as well-known as the Brunswick Centre or the Barbican, and isn’t largely because of where it is. It is a monumental, civic housing project on the grandest scale.
On arriving a Southampton Central there it is looming over Blechynden Terrace.
A big brute of a building Nelson Gate, comprised of sixteen-storey Norwich House, seven-storey Frobisher House and five-storey Grenville House.
Though it seems that for some time there are those which wish to tame the brute.
Plans for a multimillion-pound development including a hotel, homes, offices and shops in Southampton city centre have been revealed.
The Nelson Gate scheme, proposed by developer FI Real Estate Management, would also see Norwich House and Frobisher House revamped.
A public square would be created by the city’s central railway station, as well as a new pedestrian route.
A full planning application is expected be submitted later in the summer.
Chris Hammond, leader of Southampton City Council, said: “Nelson Gate is one of the gateways into the city from the station, so to see a brand new development is fantastic. It really showcases what the city has to offer for those coming in.”
Ellis Williams was appointed to develop designs and achieve planning permission for the redevelopment of Nelson Gate in Southampton, transforming the existing 1970’s office accommodation into an iconic residential and public space. Through positive and extensive engagement with Southampton Council, the site has been re-imaged as an arrival gateway into the city from the Central Railway Station.
The existing office buildings and car park will be transformed into 247 residential apartments, 42,000 sq ft Grade A office space, a 224 bed hotel with extensive dry leisure and 14,000sf commercial / food and beverage space fronting onto a new public realm and urban park.
Aligned with other significant investment into Southampton, Nelson Gate will create a truly unique place for people to live, work and socialise.
The scheme is expected to be delivered in two phases. The first phase, focusing on the existing buildings and their immediate surroundings, is projected for completion by September 2026. However, it is important to note that this timeline is a challenging target.
Excellent price – max £4 for whole day. Awkward to exit on foot, it needs more signage, but worth a bit of faffing around for the very reasonable cost. Really easy to pay by phone, although it costs an extra 20p to do this. As other have said, it closes at 8pm, but great for daytime adventures!
2017
Open 24 hours, no lifts but cheap. Always managed to find a space.
2023
Parkopedia
Crosville buses DVG279 and ENL826 head out of Liverpool past the multi-storey car park and AUEW offices in Mount Pleasant.
One of Liverpool’s traditional “Freddie Boswell” street sweepers is going down the hill with his dustcart.
Photo 1985 Chris Palmer
On my way somewhere else, took a left off Lime Street to walk around and about this monumental concrete car park.
I was on my way to see Ed Ruscha amongst other things.
Volare Digital Camera
I think he would have admired the view.
No fancy cladding and a limited pedestrian access, should you happen to be sans auto.
Attached to the car park is the 051 Complex – made for the Liverpool dialling code.
Club 051, ofiveone, The 05’…
Whatever you wish to call it, this iconic venue has touched the hearts of literally hundreds of thousands of clubbers spanning its illustrious history. Those infamous stairs down to the dance floor are truly part of clubbing folklore for those who have walked them, and now because of a team of people who dared to dream, you can once again enjoy the spine chilling ofiveone experience!
Lead architect Ivan Dale Owen of Sir Percy Thomas & Partners also responsible for the site’s 1960 masterplanning.
He then spent over a year working for Walter Gropius’s practice, The Architects Collaborative, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.He returned to Britain, where he became a senior architect/planner with William Holford & Partners in London, where he worked on plans for the reconstruction of London after the war.
He returned to Wales with health problems and in 1958 was hired by Percy Thomas & Son as an associate in their Cardiff office. By 1964, Percy Thomas & Son had become Sir Percy Thomas & Partners and Owen had become a partner. He changed the philosophy of the practice, transforming it with a contemporary modernist style.
Rio Architects worked with Cardiff University designing visually attractive, innovative and cost-effective buildings. The Rio team are enthusiastic and dedicated, taking time to meet the client Departments at all stages of the project to ensure that an informed and good working relationship is developed and maintained the innovative design of the new podium development for the School of Bioscience incorporates hexagonal shaped glass panels was developed in conjunction with Solaglas.
Ian Lomer
Director of Estates Development, Cardiff University
Arts and Social Studies Library designed by Faulkner-Brown Hendy Watkinson Stonor 1976
RIBA pix Josephine Reid
Music Department 1971 Alex Gordon Partnership.
RIBA pix Stanley Travers
Three Obliques – Walk Inis a 1968 sculpture by Barbara Hepworth. Three casts exist; two are in private collections and a third is displayed outside the Cardiff University School of Music.
Exploring the University of York campus the first point of interest which we encountered was the Water Tower.
Siward’s Howe, sometimes written Siwards How and also known as Heslington Hill or Bunny Hill is a terminal moraine located to the south-east of the city of York.
The howe is situated north west of the Morrell Library building of the University of York. The southern side of the howe is part of Alcuin College of the University of York.
Its imposing water tower is visible from many parts of the nearby suburbs of Tang Hall and Osbaldwick.
Siward’s Howe is named for Siward, Earl of Northumbria, the 11th century Danish warrior.
Siward died at York during 1055 and is rumoured to have been buried beneath the tumuli at the wooded summit.
Built in 1955 the water tower contained one million gallons of water – the largest in England at the time.
It’s still operational, and provides water to Dunnington and Elvington.
The shape of the tank and supporting structure on plan takes the form of a large central square portion, each corner of which is eclipsed by an octagonal tower seven faces of which are revealed.
The central tank is fifteen feet deep and is eighty three feet and six inches square.
The Tower comprised of an inverted twenty one metre diameter conical tank which was made up of thirty two pre cast concrete petals each weighing eight and a half tonnes. The Overall Height of the Tower was approximately twenty eight metres, the central core stem being two point three metres diameter .
Photo Steve Collins 2011
Photo RIBA pix
The landmark, built in 1965 to hold fifty thousand gallons of water for the chemistry department, is crumbling away due to carbonation and has been covered in a protective net to stop pieces hitting passers-by.
Bill Burns, building maintenance surveyor for the university, said many concrete structures of the 1960s and 1970s were suffering the same fate as the speed of building often meant salt got into the aggregate used in the concrete mix.
There was a degree of uncertainty surrounding the demolition of the pre-cast structure of the Tower as it had been subject to deterioration since erection. At Tender stage, the thirty two petals forming the bowl of the water tank were described as each individually being restrained by wire ropes to the central core. Upon opening up the works, it was found that the stated thirty two restraining Ropes had only been used during the construction of the bowl and had been removed, therefore the petals of the tank were gaining support from the ring beams.
Having previously posted a history of the University of York’s Modernist architecture – here’s further information regarding Fred Millett’s concrete reliefs.
Fred Millett 1920–1980 was an English muralist, poster artist, and teacher at the Polytechnic of Central London. A number of his surviving works were commissioned by large British institutions including London Transport, London County Council and National Westminster Bank. The University of York commissioned Millett to create over 20 concrete relief panels that were to be integrated within the modular architecture of the Derwent and Langwith Colleges.
Millett’s panels created a cohesive group of works while also being distinctly different from one another due to the use of a variety of textures, geometric shapes and negative space. Larger, more detailed works follow the main covered walkways through Derwent College leading to Heslington Hall.
Smaller, less detailed works were placed near accommodation blocks and laundry rooms which suggest that they were intended for the individual enjoyment of the students who live within the College rather than a university-wide viewing experience.
In a 1973 interview, Sir Andrew Derbyshire, who was the first project architect for the university, lamented that the project could not afford better finishes for the CLASP panels – such as adding white marble aggregate – but he did appreciate their appearance in bright sunlight or when they “glisten[ed] in the pouring rain.” Asked about the integration of the Millett sculptures to enliven the panels, he stated: “Yes. Well, that was an attempt. I would have liked it to have gone a bit further than that.”
This was my first visit to the campus, and having discovered the first of the reliefs, I cantered around from block to block, like a giddy one penny child in a seaside arcade – wondering where to look next.
Though plans for a university in York first appeared as early as 1617, it would be over three centuries before they came to fruition. In 1960, permission was finally granted for the University of York to be built, marking the beginning of our journey.
Before the Second World War, Heslington was a quiet rural retreat with a local aristocracy, and a working agricultural village.
Fresh, young, forward-looking and enthusiastic, the University of York was known for its friendly atmosphere before it even opened its doors.
Planning and building the University happened with astonishing speed. In April 1960 the Government approved the establishment and less than three years, on 9 October 1963, the first students walked through the gates of Heslington Hall.
In the 1970s, college social life began to blossom.
Central Hall was the venue for The Who, The Kinks, Fairport Convention, John Martyn, Ian Dury and the Blockheads, Hot Chocolate, Humphrey Littleton, Acker Bilk, Paul Tortelier, Julian Bream, John Williams and others.
Paul and Linda McCartney appeared one day out of the blue with their new band Wings and performed a concert in Goodricke College Dining Room.
The beginning of the 1980s came with significant challenges for the University.
The decade saw the start of cuts across higher education. Staff were exhorted to make economies including turning down their thermostats, recycling, and making telephone calls as short as possible. There was also a fire in the Department of Chemistry.
In 1990, the Vice-Chancellor, Berrick Saul, recounted to court that York had been described by a senior member of the Universities Funding Council as “a well-run university with a relatively low profile.”
What a difference a decade makes.
By the end of the 1990s, York was dominating national league tables for research and teaching and was receiving international press coverage for achievement across the disciplines.
University Chancellor Dame Janet Baker at the opening of the University’s Baby Unit, October 1994 – York Digital Library
The 90s was characterised by advancement and recognition. York remained a popular choice among prospective students growing from 4,300 to 8,500 students without compromising its high entry standards. As the Sunday Times pointed out, “elitism does not appear to be the price of excellence at York”. York was one of only very few universities whose entry from state schools and colleges (around 80 per cent) was the same as the proportion of A-level students in the state system.
The introduction of official quality assessments and the proliferation of newspaper league tables saw the University’s stock rocket. After years of academic advancement, York began to get the recognition it deserved. National recognition attracted additional funding and investment. Research grants rose to over £20m per annum, and the University enjoyed one of the highest incomes per researcher in the higher education sector.
The Sir Jack Lyons Music Research Centre is opened by Roger Wright, controller of BBC Radio 3, 2004
The planning for Heslington East began in earnest in 2002 with the arrival of Brian Cantor as Vice-Chancellor. It took years of master-planning, liaison with interest groups, negotiations with land-owners and local communities, an 8-hour city planning meeting and a Public Inquiry to achieve the purchase of land and complex planning permissions for a site equal to the size of the original Heslington West campus. In 2009, the new Goodricke College opened as the first building on Heslington East.
At the time of the 40th anniversary in 2003, we wrote about Heslington East:
It will be everything that the designers of the original campus hoped for – integrated, landscaped and traffic-free, with a large expanse of water, and a very eager populace.
On 25th November 2010, we were named “University of the Year” at the Times Higher Education Awards, achieving praise from the judges for our “success in combining academic excellence with social inclusion, as well as its record in scientific discovery”.
The development of Campus East continued throughout the decade, with four new sites to accommodate academic departments and a variety of support and social buildings, including the Ron Cooke Hub and York Sports Village.
Campus West also saw much expansion and redevelopment during the 2010s, with the opening of the £13.8m Spring Lane Learning and Teaching Building and £16m Biology teaching and laboratory facility in 2016.
The University of York was founded in 1963 and work on its campus facilities in the grounds of Heslington Hall was begun in 1964. The first two colleges, Langwith and Derwent, accepted residential students for the autumn term of 1965. The original buildings were designed by Sir Andrew Derbyshire of Robert Matthew Johnson-Marshall & Partners, and assembled using the CLASP system of prefabricated construction.
RIBA
Founded in 1956 by architects Robert Matthew and Stirrat Johnson-Marshall, RMJM’s first offices were based in London and Edinburgh.
RMJM is now one of the largest architecture and design networks in the world. Services include architecture, development management, engineering, interior design, landscape design, lead consultancy, master planning, product design, specialist advisory services, and urban design
Langwith College 1965 – photo Reginald Hugo de Burgh Galwey
Constructed using the Consortium of Local Authorities Special Programme – CLASP system, formed in 1957 by Local Authorities in England to develop a shared prefabricated system for the construction of school buildings. The resulting CLASP building system was initially developed by Charles Herbert Aslin, the county architect for Hertfordshire.
CLASP’s popularity in coal mining areas was in part because the system permitted fairly straightforward replacement of subsidence-damaged sections of building, and the lightness of the structures. The system was also later used for the construction of railway stations, offices, university buildings, and churches until the late 1970s.
Today, 3000 examples are still in use.
Photo – Keith Gibson 1965
The system utilised prefabricated light gauge steel frames which could be built economically up to a maximum of four storeys. The frames were finished in a variety of claddings and their modular nature could be employed to produce architecturally satisfying buildings. Initially developed solely for schools, the system was also used to provide offices and housing.
The cynics’ definition of the CLASP acronym, circulating in the 1970s, was:
collection of loosely assembled steel parts.
CLASP buildings fell out of favour in the late 1970s. Budgetary advances and changing architectural tastes made the scheme obsolete.
Walkway Derwent College with concrete relief by Fred Millett 1965
Photos 1965 Bill Toomey
Fred Millett 1920–1980 was a muralist and poster artist who exhibited at the Festival of Britain and was commissioned by London Transport, National Westminster Bank, University of York and the General Post Office. He also taught Perception and Communication at the Polytechnic of Central London.
Fred Millett – Sculpted Wall Raglan Estate Camden 1965
Originally part of the children’s playground, the work is a feature of a post war estate designed by Frank Scarlett in Kentish Town
JB Morrell Library seen from the south side of Heslington Road with linking pedestrian bridge and ramp in foreground and cast aluminium sculpture by Austin Wright.
Austin Wright 1911-1997 is a significant post-war sculptor whose personal and professional lives were deeply intertwined with the city of York.
He was born on 4th June 1911 in Chester but spent his childhood in Cardiff. Though a largely self-taught artist, Austin took evening classes at Cardiff Art School. Austin attended New College, University of Oxford for his degree in Modern Languages before he started his teacher training. His first job as a teacher started in 1934 at The Downs, Malvern in Worcestershire. The school attracted artistic people. W.H. Auden taught English for example, and the art master organised a Dada exhibition one year. Here, Austin taught painting and sculpture as well as French and German.
Covered pedestrian bridge linking the southern side of the campus to the JB Morrell Library on the north side.
Central Hall
Colloquially known as The Spaceship designed by John Speight, constructed in 1966–1968. The hall is seen as a tour de force of the university, appearing on merchandise and often used as a background for university publicity.
Central lecture and recreation hall to the University of York, 1966-1968 by Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall & Partners with Stirrat Johnson-Marshall and Andrew Derbyshire as partners in charge, and John Speight as job architect.
* it forms part of a wave of seven new universities that improved access to higher education and marked the high point of publicly-funded architecture in post-war Britain;
* it is a physical manifestation of the University of York Development Plan, which was heralded as the beginning of contemporary university planning in Britain;
* it continues a historic tradition established by late-C19/early-C20 ‘red brick’ universities of featuring a great hall for special events.
* it has an imaginative and bold design with a striking architectural form and massing that is the focus of the most dramatic views across the campus lake;
The days when a vast multitude of things came and went have been and gone.
The docks as they were are no more.
Yet in 2023, the Port of Liverpool was the UK’s fourth busiest container port, handling over 30 million tonnes of freight per annum. It handles a wide variety of cargo, including containers, bulk cargoes such as coal, grain and animal feed, and roll-on/roll-off cargoes such as cars, trucks and recycled metals. The port is also home to one of the largest cruise terminals in the UK which handles approximately 200,000 passengers and over 100 cruise ships each year.
Now with the opening of the Titanic Hotel in the Stanley Dock and the arrival of the Toffees just up the road at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, the whole area is slowly being transformed into a destination, as they say in modern parlance.
However much of the Industrial heritage remains in various states of disarray, used and possibly disabused, but hanging on in there.
The building was cladded with a COR-TEN® steel envelope, the nature of which was relatively complex.
Corten steel sets itself apart due to the inclusion of unique alloying elements: chromium, nickel, copper and added phosphorous which gives the steel its self-protecting properties.
Platform 14 is primitive, I understand totally from an infrastructure standpoint because it’s on a bypass line on a bridge, but it gets too overcrowded and is windswept. The rest of the station is ok. Platforms 13/14 have not changed in 40 years, grim.
We the pass to the former BT Building – architects JW Hammond 1973.
Originally conceived as a hotel, there were no takers at the time, so it became the BT HQ.
Comprising 338 rooms, Manchester Marriott Hotel Piccadilly is near a shopping district, a 10-minute ride from Etihad Stadium. Offering a location right in the centre of a beautiful neighbourhood, this comfortable hotel boasts a lounge bar along with city views.
The developer’s architects now propose to ‘reimagine’ the artwork and incorporate it into the foyer of the new office building. However, this ‘reimagining’ requires large sections of the artwork to be removed by cutting away and ‘folding’ around 30% of the sculpture.
From beneath the roadway we can see the Ferranti Building.
Crossing over to see the Brunswick Estate, built in the Sixties and Seventies and recently refurbished.
S4B is a partnership leading the £106m regeneration of Brunswick, Manchester. The Brunswick Regeneration PFI is a combination of government funding, private investment and expertise that will revitalise Brunswick. Improvements will include council home refurbishments, new homes for sale and to rent and an improved neighbourhood design.
Long gone lost estate pub from the estate – King William IV a former Chesters then Whitbread estate pub was built in 1967. Closed in 1996 when it was converted to residential property. It had a brief spell 1991 to 1995 as brewery premises for the Dobbin’s West Coast Brewery, during this period the interior was stripped out to accommodate the brewery paraphernalia.
We take a jog around the block to see the concrete relief that clads the road ramp.
Where there was once a giant Cooperative Store there is now a light industrial and retail estate.
The Diocese of Manchester has been working in partnership with the Church Revitalisation Trust to open Fabric Church and refurbish the building, following a successful bid to the Church of England’s Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board.
We’re excited to be working alongside Fabric Church on the transformation of the Grade II listed former Ardwick Barracks in Manchester. This ambitious refurbishment project will see the historic site reimagined as a vibrant community hub, featuring a new worship hall, community café, offices, meeting spaces, and more.
Alongside Ardwick Green Park there are new housing developments nearing completion.
Ardwick Green combines contemporary design with great light infused spaces, offering stylish homes with a modern twist, private parking, outdoor spaces and a welcoming community atmosphere an urban retreat that truly feels like home.
With the city just moments away, living at Ardwick Green will give homeowners easy access to Manchester City Centre and beyond with its vibrant social scene, bustling business landscape and extensive transport network on your doorstep.
Without which much of what we understand as the modern age would possibly not now exist.
It appears to be green slate from the Lake District, the native underlying rock in this part of Manchester is a red sandstone.
Postcard of 1906
The Apollo of course prevails. – seen here in 1958
Architects: Peter Cummings Alex M Irvine
Opened on 29th August 1938 the interior decorations were carried out by noted interior designers Mollo & Egan with the Holophane lighting designed by R Gillespie Williams.
This Sixties municipal building remains a mystery.
Actor Harry H Corbett visiting his childhood area in 1969, he lived on Earl Street and later in Wythenshawe.
Modern Mooch 