Modernist Britain

This website contains profiles of Modernist buildings in Britain. Each building profile contains a description and history of the building, photographs and a location map. Each building featured on this website may have had a number of uses and owners. For consistency each building is referred to by it's original name and use (where known). Where known the present status and use of each building is detailed in its profile.

Please note, in this website Modernism and Modernist refer to the totality of 'modern' buildings. In referring to specific Modernist styles, the relevant terms is used, for example 'International Style'. Assigning a specific style to a building is subjective and is based on the author's own assessment.

• Perivale Underground Station, London

  Published: Saturday, April 6, 2013, 7:00 pm
  Standing on Horsenden Lane in Greenford, Middlesex (just off the A40 Western Avenue), Perivale is an underground station on the western part of the Central Line. Until the early 1930s public transport in London was operated by a many separate private companies, together operating a fragmented service to passengers. In 1933 the London Passenger Transport Act brought... Read more »
  Tags: Modernism, Post-war, Transport

• Southgate Underground Station, London

  Published: Friday, February 1, 2013, 7:45 pm
  Standing on a roundabout at the junction of the A1004 High Street in Southgate and the A111 running east-west, Southgate Underground Station serves the Piccadilly Line on the London Underground network. The earliest Underground lines in London were constructed by the 'cut and cover' method. These tunnels were usually constructed under London's streets to avoid disturbance... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Transport

• 66-68 Portland Place, London

  Published: Saturday, December 15, 2012, 5:30 pm
  Between 1957 and 1958 the Royal Institute of British Architects extended its existing headquarters at 66 Portland Place in Central London to meet the expanding accommodation requirements of the organisation. The extensions - both upwards and outwards - were designed to harmonise with the existing Modernist building, designed by British architect George Grey Wornum. His... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Headquarters, Office

• Arnos Grove Underground Station, London

  Published: Monday, November 12, 2012, 8:00 pm
  Standing on Bowes Road (the A1110) in the London Borough of Enfield, Arnos Grove Underground Station is arguably London's most iconic underground station, and photographs of the station and have been used extensively in the media. Of all the Underground stations designed by British architect Charles Holden, Arnos Grove is perhaps the design that represents... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Transport

• Cockfosters Station, London

  Published: Sunday, October 14, 2012, 3:37 pm
  Standing on Cockfosters Road (the A111) in Barnet, north London, Cockfosters Station is a station serving as the northern terminus of the Piccadilly Line on London Underground. Today, the underground system is operated as a unified system, however in the early 1930s public transport in London was operated by a number of separate companies, including... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Transport

• The Hoover Factory Building No 7, London

  Published: Saturday, September 1, 2012, 9:58 pm
  Building No 7 is part of the former Hoover Factory complex in Perivale, west London. It is one of three surviving structures from the site, built between 1932 and 1938. The site is alongside the A40 arterial route, which runs from the City of London to Fishguard in Wales. Building No 7 is next to... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Commercial

• The Hoover Factory, Greater London

  Published: Sunday, August 12, 2012, 11:25 am
  Standing alongside the A40, to the west of Central London, the Hoover Building is a remarkable landmark for commuters and visitors to London using this main arterial route into the city. Originally built for the American Hoover Company, the factory on Western Avenue was built as a manufacturing base for the company's British vacuum cleaner... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Commercial

• Oakwood Underground Station, London

  Published: Monday, July 23, 2012, 9:05 pm
  Standing on Bramley Road (the A110) in Enfield, north London, Oakwood is a station serving the Piccadilly Line on London Underground. It is the penultimate station on the northern section of the line. Oakwood briefly served as the northern terminus during the construction of the Piccadilly Line, before Cockfosters station, today's terminus, was completed in... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Transport

• 66 Portland Place, London

  Published: Monday, June 11, 2012, 9:30 pm
  Standing on the corner of Portland Place and Weymouth Street near to London's Regents Park, 66 Portland Place is an impressive Art Deco office building serving as the headquarters of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The RIBA, founded in 1834, is the professional body for architects in the United Kingdom. The RIBA received... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Headquarters, Office

• Sinclair's Department Store, Belfast

  Published: Saturday, May 12, 2012, 11:29 pm
  Standing on the corner of Royal Parade and North Street in the centre of Belfast (less than half a mile north of Donegall Square and the City Hall) the former Sinclair's Department Store is a fine example of Modernist architecture in Ireland, in the Art Deco style. Sinclair's was once one of Belfast's most prestigious department... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Commercial

• 97-99 Park Avenue, Ruislip

  Published: Friday, April 6, 2012, 5:45 pm
  Numbers 97-99 Park Avenue, and adjacent 101 Park Avenue, are three Modernist houses in Ruislip, on the fringes of suburban-west London. The houses are a stark contrast to the surrounding housing stock on Park Avenue of traditional, brick and pitch-tiled roof, mid to late-twentieth century houses. These Modernist houses appear a curious component of a... Read more »
  Tags: Housing, International Style

• Bank of Ireland Building, Belfast

  Published: Sunday, March 11, 2012, 12:10 pm
  Standing on the corner of Royal Parade and North Street in the centre of Belfast (less than half a mile north of Donegall Square and the City Hall) the former Bank of Ireland Building is one of the finest Modernist buildings in Ireland. The building was constructed during 1929 and 1930 to designs by Joseph Vincent... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Commercial

• Chiswick Park Station, London

  Published: Sunday, February 5, 2012, 10:14 pm
  Standing at the junction of Bollo Lane and Acton Lane in Chiswick, West London, Chiswick Park Station is a station serving the District Line on London Underground. The Underground Electric Railways Company of London operated a numebr of lines, including the Northern and Piccadilly Lines, and since 1902 the company had also owned the Metropolitan... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Transport

• Grosvenor Cinema Rayners Lane, Harrow

  Published: Sunday, January 1, 2012, 9:29 pm
  Standing on Alexandra Avenue in Harrow, Middlesex, the former Grosvenor Cinema was built in 1936 for the Grosvenor cinema company. The cinema was designed by Frank Ernest Bromige LRIBA (1902-1979). Bromige was a London-based architect practising, at the time, out of Kingly Street in Westminster. His works in London include the former Kingsland Empire in... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Cinema

• Park Royal Station, London

  Published: Saturday, October 29, 2011, 10:14 pm
  Standing on Western Avenue, which runs west out of London, Park Royal Station serves the Piccadilly Line on London Underground. In the early 1930s public transport in London was operated by a multitude of separate companies. This saw large companies such as the Underground Electric Railways Company of London, which operated a number of underground... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Transport

• Osterley Station, Isleworth

  Published: Saturday, October 29, 2011, 10:09 pm
  Standing on the Great West Road, which runs west out of London to Bristol, Osterley Station is a station serving the Piccadilly Line on London Underground. In the early 1930s public transport in London was operated by a multitude of separate companies. This saw large companies such as the Underground Electric Railways Company of London,... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Transport

• Boston Manor Station, Brentford

  Published: Saturday, October 29, 2011, 10:01 pm
  Standing on Boston Manor Road in Brentford, close to Junction 4 of the M4 Motorway in London, Boston Manor Station is a station serving the Piccadilly Line on London Underground. In the early 1930s public transport in London was operated by a multitude of separate companies. This saw large companies such as the Underground Electric... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Transport

• Sudbury Hill Station, Harrow

  Published: Saturday, July 23, 2011, 10:06 pm
  Standing on Greenford Road in Sudbury, west London, Sudbury Hill Station is a station serving the Piccadilly Line on London Underground. In the early 1930s public transport in London was operated by a multitude of separate companies. This saw large companies such as the Underground Electric Railways Company of London, which operated a number of... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Transport

• Sudbury Town Station, Wembley

  Published: Saturday, July 23, 2011, 10:03 pm
  Standing on Station Approach, off Harrow Road and a mile west of Wembley Stadium in west London, Sudbury Town Station is a station serving the Piccadilly Line on London Underground. In the early 1930s public transport in London was operated by a multitude of separate companies. This saw large companies such as the Underground Electric... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Transport

• Rayners Lane Station, Harrow

  Published: Saturday, July 23, 2011, 9:25 pm
  Standing on Alexandra Avenue in Harrow, Middlesex, Rayners Lane Station is a station serving both the Metropolitan and Piccadilly Lines on London Underground. In the early 1930s public transport in London was operated by a multitude of separate companies. Large companies such as the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (which operated a number of... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Transport

• Eastcote Station, Ruislip

  Published: Saturday, July 23, 2011, 9:23 pm
  Standing on Field End Road in Ruislip, Middlesex, Eastcote Station is a station serving both the Metropolitan and Piccadilly Lines on London Underground. In the early 1930s public transport in London was operated by a multitude of separate companies. Large companies such as the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (which operated a number of... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Transport

• Arcadia Works, London

  Published: Saturday, May 14, 2011, 9:21 pm
  Standing on Hampstead Road in North London, opposite Mornington Crescent tube station and half a mile north of Euston Road, the Arcadia Works was built between 1926 and 1928 for the Carreras Tobacco Company. The company was established in 1788 and started business in London in the mid-1850s. By 1907 the company had a large... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Commercial

• St Olaf House, London

  Published: Saturday, May 14, 2011, 9:18 pm
  Standing on Tooley Street, near to HMS Belfast and on the south side of London Bridge in central London, St Olaf House was built between 1928 and 1932 for the Hay's Wharf Company. The Hay's Wharf Company was founded in 1867 ane operated warehouses and wharves on the Thames in London. St Olaf House was... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Commercial

• Lion House, Richmond, Surrey

  Published: Saturday, May 14, 2011, 9:16 pm
  Throughout Greater London there are many Modernist multi-use buildings. Lion House on Red Lion Street in Richmond, Surrvey is a fine example of such an building, built very much for utilitarian purposes. Lion House stands in the centre of Richmond just off the central Hill Street/George Street thoroughfare. Like so many Modernist buildings in Britain Lion... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Commercial

• Summit House, London

  Published: Tuesday, September 28, 2010, 10:23 pm
  Standing on Red Lion Square just off High Holborn in central London, Summit House was built in 1925 for the Austin Reed Company. The Austin Reed menswear company was founded in 1900 and by the 1920s had a flagship store on London's Regent Street. The company commissioned the architectural practice of Westwood & Emberton to... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Commercial

• Daily Express Building, London

  Published: Tuesday, September 28, 2010, 10:03 pm
  Located at 120 Fleet Street in the City of London, the former Daily Express Building is one of London's most iconic Modernist buildings. The building was constructed between 1930 and 1932 to serve as the headquarters of the Daily Express Newspaper in the capital. Architects Ellis and Clarke (the practice later became Ellis Clarke and Gallanaugh)... Read more »
  Tags: Commercial, Streamlined Moderne

• Isokon Building, London

  Published: Tuesday, September 28, 2010, 9:35 pm
  In 1931 the Isokon firm was founded by Jack and Molly Pritchard and partners. The partners of the company were interested in modern living and sought to design buildings and furniture a modern style. Previously, in the mid-1920s, Jack Pritchard had met architect Wells Wintemute Coates and a synergy between the Pritchards and Coates was... Read more »
  Tags: Housing, International Style

• Trinity Court, London

  Published: Tuesday, September 28, 2010, 9:12 pm
  Throughout London there are many Modernist houses and apartment buildings. Trinity Court on Gray's Inn Road near to Farringdon in central London is a fine example of such an apartment building. Trinity Court stands in front of the St Andrew's Holborn Burial Ground dating from 1754 (now a public garden). It provides a contrast to... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Housing

• Odeon Cinema Bridgwater, Somerset

  Published: Thursday, August 19, 2010, 10:21 pm
  The former Odeon cinema on Penel Orlieu in Bridgwater, Somerset was designed by British architect Thomas Cecil Howitt (1889 - 1968). Howitt designed a number of cinemas - at Bridgwater, Clacton, Warley,and Weston-super-Mare - for the Odeon chain. Howitt had previously worked in Nottingham city engineer's department and later in private practice in the same... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Cinema

• Odeon Cinema Weston-super-Mare, Somerset

  Published: Thursday, August 19, 2010, 10:19 pm
  The Odeon cinema in Weston-super-Mare stands on the corner of Walliscote Road and Regent Street, a quarter of a mile from the sea front of the North Somerset town. The building is an imposing structure and arguably one of the finest buildings constructed for the Odeon cinema chain. The building was designed by British architect Thomas... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Cinema

• Pinner Court and Capel Gardens, Pinner

  Published: Thursday, August 19, 2010, 10:13 pm
  Pinner Court and the neighbouring Capel Gardens (illustrated above) lie on Pinner Road in the Middlesex town of Pinner. They were both designed by local architect H J Mark and built by the Courtenay Property Company Limited. H J Mark worked locally, having designed much of nearby Eastcote town centre and a number of fine... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Housing

• Odeon Cinema Leicester, Leicestershire

  Published: Tuesday, June 1, 2010, 10:15 pm
  The former Odeon cinema in Leicester is a striking building, designed by Harry Weedon and Robert Bullivant from Odeon's favoured architectural practice. The cinema stands on a corner site at the junction of Rutland Street and Queen Street in Leicester. The cinema housed a single screen and seating for nearly 2,200 customers. It opened on... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Cinema

• Odeon Cinema Loughborough, Leicestershire

  Published: Tuesday, June 1, 2010, 10:10 pm
  The former Odeon Cinema, located on Baxtergate in Loughborough, is a fine, surviving building from the Odeon Cinema chain. Modernist architecture was almost exclusively used by Deutsch. The chain, started by Oscar Deutsch with its first cinema in Perry Barr in Birmingham owned in excess of 250 cinemas prior to the Second World War. Like many... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Cinema

• Odeon Cinema Newport, Gwent

  Published: Tuesday, June 1, 2010, 10:07 pm
  The former Odeon Cinema, located on Clarence Place in Newport, Gwent, is a remarkable, surviving building from the Odeon Cinema chain. The chain, started by Oscar Deutsch with its first cinema in Perry Barr in Birmingham owned in excess of 250 cinemas prior to the Second World War. Modernist architecture was almost exclusively used by... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Cinema

• Saltdean Lido, Saltdean

  Published: Sunday, September 20, 2009, 9:10 pm
  Three miles along the south coast, east of Brighton lies the small town of Saltdean. Despite its size Saltdean possesses two of the finest Modernist buildings in Britain, the Ocean Hotel and Saltdean Lido. A lido is essentially a public outdoor swimming pool and accompanying facilities. The construction of lidos in Britain reached its zenith... Read more »
  Tags: International Style, Lido

• Embassy Court, Brighton

  Published: Sunday, September 20, 2009, 9:06 pm
  Standing on King's Road on Brighton sea front Embassy Court is a fine example of the Modernist Movement. Designed by the architect Wells Coates Embassy Court was built between 1934 and 1936. Wells Coates (1895 - 1958) was a designer and architect and was responsible for many fine Modernist buildings in Britain, including the Isokon... Read more »
  Tags: Housing, International Style

• BBC Broadcasting House, London

  Published: Sunday, March 1, 2009, 9:00 pm
  Broadcasting House, on Portland Place in London, was designed by architects George Val Myer and Watson Hart for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The interiors were designed by architect Raymond McGrath. It was Britain's first purpose-built broadcasting facility including offices and radio studios. The building comprises a steel frame construction clad in Portland stone rising... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Commercial

• Ideal House, London

  Published: Sunday, March 1, 2009, 8:54 pm
  Ideal House in London stands on the corner of Great Marlborough Street and Argyll Street, just off Regent Street. Ideal House was designed by architects Raymond Hood and Gordon Jeeves for the American National Radiator Company. The design was inspired by the American Radiator Building on Bryant Park in Manhattan, New York designed by Raymond... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Commercial

• Odeon Cinema Dudley, West Midlands

  Published: Sunday, June 1, 2008, 8:52 pm
  The Odeon Cinema Dudley was built on a plot opposite Dudley Castle and opened on 28 July 1937. The cinema stands on Castle Hill, which rises from Birmingham Road to Dudley Town Centre. The cinema was designed by Harry Weedon and Budge Reid of the Weedon Partnership in the Odeon house style. The general outline... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Cinema

• Odeon Cinema Wolverhampton, West Midlands

  Published: Sunday, June 1, 2008, 8:50 pm
  The former Odeon Cinema stands on Skinner Street in the centre of Wolverhampton. The Mayor Of Wolverhampton, Sir Charles Mander, officially opened the cinema on 11 September 1937. The cinema was designed by Harry Weedon and P.J. Price. The design was distinguished by a main tower. Set on the left hand side of the building... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Cinema

• Odeon Cinema Kingstanding, Birmingham

  Published: Sunday, June 1, 2008, 8:38 pm
  Located at the convergence of six roads in Kingstanding in Birmingham, the Odeon cinema stands out as a dramatic building as it is the tallest building within the locality. As the cinema is surrounded on both sides by roads it dominates the environment. Designed by Harry Weedon and Cecil Clavering and built between 1935 and... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Cinema

• Odeon Cinema Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands

  Published: Sunday, June 1, 2008, 7:11 pm
  One company more than any other in Britain brought Modernist architecture to the attention of towns and cities across the country. The Odeon cinema chain owned in excess of 250 cinemas prior to the Second World War. Oscar Deutsch had commissioned the firm of Weedon Partnership to design a cinema in Perry Barr, Birmingham. The... Read more »
  Tags: Art Deco, Cinema

• Marine Court, St Leonards-on-Sea

  Published: Sunday, June 1, 2008, 4:54 pm
  Marine Court in St Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex was constructed by South Coast (Hastings & St Leonards) Properties company. On 30 November 1936 the foundation stone was laid by Robert Holland-Martin, Chairman of the Southern Railway and the building was completed in 1938. Marine Court is fourteen storeys high, and from basement to roof, measures... Read more »
  Tags: Housing, Streamlined Moderne