Album Architecture from tarboat

Harold

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 05:56:45 +0000

tarboat has posted:

Huddersfield born Prime Minister Harold Wilson is commemorated by this statue outside the magnificent station frontage in that town. The station is said to be Huddersfield's finest building. The foundation stone was laid by Earl Fitzwilliam on 9 October 1846 and it was completed in 1850 to the design of architect James Pigot Pritchett.

Pennine Tower

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 06:51:08 +0000

tarboat has posted:

Thanks to GRONK on 28dayslater for the history. See his report for lots of photos of what is inside.
www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/the-pennine-tower-lancaster-services-m6-november-2023.136454

The Pennine Tower was originally due to open in April 1965 but due to delays with construction it was eventually pushed back to November, as part of the newly constructed Forton services on the M6 motorway, it was actually the second service station to open on the motorway after Charnock Richard which opened a few years earlier in 1963. The services took its name from the nearby village of Forton and was designed by T. P. Bennett and Son, when the facility opened it was originally operated by The Rank Organisation. It was opened on the Preston-Lancaster section of the M6 with junction 33 is to the north and junction 32 is to the south; this section of the motorway opened in the same year as the services.

The tower boasted an up-market restaurant and a sun deck which had been designed to resemble an air traffic control tower which spans 22.5 m metres across. Initially the tower proved popular with motorists offering unrivalled views of the countryside. However, during the first quarter of 1967, the tower-restaurant recorded a loss of £700 (approximately £10,700 in 2023). While that's the only period for which precise figures are available, it confirms that even during the supposed peak of the motoring-dining era, the tower was struggling to cover its basic running costs. Rank complained that most visitors weren't buying anything, and that traffic levels were much lower than expected.

The tower had space to hold more than 120 diners. It is true that modern fire regulations wouldn't allow 120 people to congregate in the tower, so it wouldn't be able to operate at full capacity and staff would have to count how many people came up. However the reality is that for most of its life the tower would have struggled to attract 120 diners at any one time, and patronage was usually in the single figures.

Fast forward a few years and cost-cutting was having an additional impact, plus social changes and driving becoming less leisurely all meant that the tower's prospects were bleak. Most of Rank's restaurants were soon struggling to make any money, and the unique running costs and impracticality of the tower meant it was especially difficult to justify. The desperate cutbacks meant the food was soon described as "an insult".

What was left of the 'fine dining' restaurant was converted to a trucker's lounge, swapping with the facilities downstairs, before the tower closed completely to the public in 1989. It then soldiered on for another 15 years, partially re-fitted, as a head office, then as staff training and storage, but even this became too impractical, and the tower is now not used at all.

In 2012 the tower was listed Grade II for its modernist design.

No.4, Broad Street

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 06:46:12 +0000

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Although fallen on hard times this building on Broad Street in Hanley is certainly attractive. Built as a house in 1878 it was occupied by a dentist who had his surgery and offices on the ground floor with living accommodation above. it was later used by the British Gaslight Company as offices until their gasworks was sold to Stoke-on-Trent Borough Council in 1922. In the mid-1970s the Co-operative Bank had a branch here whilst the Power Group of the National Union of Mineworkers was upstairs.

Bus station

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 20:42:19 +0000

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A bit of brutalist architecture at Huddersfield bus station. It was opened on Sunday 1 December 1974 and is the busiest bus station in West Yorkshire. It is currently undergoing major renovation works.

Old Town Hall

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 05:51:28 +0000

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The former Town Hall in the Market Square, Millom, was commissioned in 1878 by the Millom Local Board and Urban Sanitary Authority, with a budget of £3,500, to accommodate a boardroom and a market hall. The building was designed in the Tudor Revival style, built in limestone with sandstone dressings and was completed in 1879. The clock tower was substantially reduced in height in the 1950s, with both the third stage of the tower and the hexagonal section removed due to structural issues. In 2001 the successor authority. Copeland District Council, sold the building and it became a bar and restaurant trading as 'The Clock Tower' although this closed at then of 2025. Restoration of the clock was undertaken in 2016 under the direction of the Millom Clock Trust.

On the corner

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 05:24:15 +0000

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This block of three shops with offices above sits at the corner of Kind Edward Street and Waltham Street in the centre of Hull. The corner facade has on the first floor a semicircular bay window with Ionic half-columns and an ornate copper half-dome. Above again, a hexagonal copper dome with curly volutes and a circular dormer window on each side. Flat topped round lantern with volutes, and was once crowned with a flagpole. It was built c1905 and is listed Grade II.

Teetons Ltd

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 19:57:09 +0000

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This interesting commercial premises is Nos 69-73 Stafford St, Hanley. The brick structure is ornamented with sandstone lintels, bands and decorative plaques on the upper storeys. The tower is dated 1911 and the flanking panels are lettered LTD with the 'T' much taller than the other letters. This represents the original owners - Teetons Limited , who were listed in the 1904 trade directory as: Wholesale & retail drapers, house furnishers, milliners, mantle warehousemen, & boot & shoe factors. The rear section along the left side has a decorative datestone on 1901. The firm occupied nos 75 & 77 Stafford Street too, where the Leek United Building Society office now stands. Looking at the raised section, I reckon that was once the centre of the building, and the right hand side has been demolished. The full impressive effect is consequently somewhat spoiled.

Teetons

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 08:07:06 +0000

tarboat has posted:

Tower and dome on Nos 69-73 Stafford St, Hanley. The brick structure is ornamented with sandstone lintels, bands and decorative plaques on the upper storeys. The tower is dated 1911 and the flanking panels are lettered LTD with the 'T' much taller than the other letters. This represents the original owners - Teetons Limited , who were listed in the 1904 trade directory as: Wholesale & retail drapers, house furnishers, milliners, mantle warehousemen, & boot & shoe factors. The rear section along the left side has a decorative datestone on 1901. The firm occupied nos 75 & 77 Stafford Street too but the original building in that section has been demolished and replaced by a modern structure.

Queen's Hotel

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 06:11:38 +0000

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The Queen's Hotel opened on Marine Parade in June 1880, making it the last of the grand Victorian hotels built in Eastbourne. The architect was Henry Currey. There are still 33 matching chimneypots on the building.

New Alresford railway station

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 06:03:44 +0000

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A matching set of chimneypots at New Alresford railway station.

Pots

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 05:39:59 +0000

tarboat has posted:

A matching set of chimneypots at the junction of Scotch Street and Lowther Street in Whitehaven.

Fortress

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 06:47:01 +0000

tarboat has posted:

The Salvation Army Hall on Nelson Street in Millom dates from 1889. It appears to have closed as a church in early 2025 and since then Millom Town Council has considered and rejected purchasing the building as a youth hub. West Cumbria seems to be a stronghold of the pebbledash tradition.

Technical Terracotta

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 09:03:18 +0000

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The former Technical School on Abbey Road, Barrow-in-Furness was built 1900-1903 for Barrow Corporation to the design of Woodhouse and Willoughby. The building contractor was W Gradwell and Co. It is listed Grade II.

Rye Waterworks

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 05:36:47 +0000

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This spot is the location of a well that supplied water to the town of Rye. In the 18th century there was a pump powered by horses but in 1869 the structure was rebuilt with a steam pump. By 1907 it had become used as a soup kitchen and following decades of various uses, it is now home to the award-winning Rye Waterworks Micropub and Microbrewery. The building is listed Grade II.

Theatre Royal

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 06:17:57 +0000

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In 1806, the Prince of Wales (later George IV) gave assent for the theatre to be built and it opened on 27 June 1807. The theatre struggled until it was purchased in 1854 by actor Henry John Nye Chart, who engaged theatre architect Charles J. Phipps to begin a programme of expansion and redevelopment.

The theatre improved its reputation and finances, becoming a respected venue. In 1920, the financial buoyancy of the Theatre enabled the directors to buy adjacent properties and make substantial improvements to the building. In 1923 the Theatre purchased the Colonnade Hotel, now the Colonnade bar and in 1927, the last major structural enlargement was made to the auditorium.

On 20 August 1971 it became a Grade II* listed building, listed as "The Theatre Royal and the Colonnade Public House (Number 10) and Attached Colonnade and Stage Entrance to the Theatre Royal". I have no idea why they have been allowed to paint the stone collonade in a faux terracotta red.

Long ones

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 05:50:44 +0000

tarboat has posted:

Someone was looking for a bit of extra draw on their chimneys.

Parish Hall

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 05:10:46 +0000

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Evershot Parish Council began building the village hall in 1919 but it was not completed until 1921.In 1939, the hall was commandeered by the British Army who subsequently returned it after the war. It is now administered by a local charity which maintains the hall for use by the local parish community.

Coastguard Lookout

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 05:45:15 +0000

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The 1950s coastguard lookout on Dungeness beach is now a holiday let. Apparently the building has no internal doors whatsoever. I note that the advertising for the property suggests that the adjacent power station is in the distance and it does not appear on any of the photos!

Grand Hotel

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Sat, 30 May 2026 06:00:25 +0000

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Opened in 1864, The Grand Hotel in Brighton (often called the "Palace by the Sea") was designed by architect John Whichcord Jr. on the site of the former West Battery.

It is infamous for the 1984 bombing by the IRA during the Conservative Party Conference. The blast killed five people and caused catastrophic structural damage. Much of the rebuilt section at the front is characterised by the lack of balconies and railings.

The hotel underwent a massive £16.2 million refurbishment in 2019 to restore its Victorian façade and update its interior.

Chimneys

nobody@ipernity.com (tarboat) — Wed, 27 May 2026 05:43:50 +0000

tarboat has posted:

Brighton Pavilion is usually mentioned for its spectacular domes, but the chimneypots are just as good. I wonder who made them?