Posted in Art Deco at 7:16 pm on 19 May 2012
This is the Allan Water Café. Quite a few of Scotland’s rivers are named something Water, (the Leithen Water is an example, and there is also of course the Water of Leith.) Though the river is only a few tens of metres away to the left of the photos you don’t actually see it when driving over the bridge as the parapet is too high for that.
Anyway the café has a typical 30s café frontage. This is from further along the road. Note the detailing above the windows and door. The more modern extension to the right (not in photo) isn’t deco but was full of customers when I took this.
The facade has pronounced deco features; horizontals and verticals emphasised in the glazing, nice detailing above the door. It seems to have been an addition to the front of an older house.
More detailing above the window and door of the furthest left portion of the building complex.
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Posted in Art Deco, Woolworths at 12:00 pm on 14 May 2012
This is in Commercial Road, Leven. It’s an estate agent’s now.
Poundland. I can remember when this was a Woolworths.
This one is on the promenade. It may have been a toilet block. I don’t know what it’s used for now. You can just see New Bayview, East Fife’s ground, in the background over the River Leven. You wouldn’t have been able to see it when Methil Power Station stood in between.
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Posted in Art Deco, Cinemas at 12:00 pm on 12 May 2012
This is more or less how I first glimpsed it. It’s in North Street, just off the main shopping street, which is now pedestrianised.
This is the front view.
I’m not sure if it’s still a snooker club. The damaged sign and general dilapidation argue against it.
The stained glass (what survives of it) is nice. And the detailing above them.
This is the view from the west.
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Posted in Architecture, Art Deco at 8:53 pm on 2 May 2012
This is the Home Connections shop in Buckhaven, Fife.
There are typical strong horizontals accentuated by the painting scheme. The thin white lines are a nice touch. Pity the replacement windows don’t follow Art Deco style.
Just a gap site away is this minor deco pair of shops.
Two more photos of Home Connections are on my flickr.
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Posted in Architecture, Art Deco at 12:00 pm on 26 April 2012
You can’t miss the Honeywell Factory if you drive along the A8 at Newhouse, Lanarkshire.
I first saw this and was struck by it as a young teenager. I took the opportnity to photograph it when I was at Cliftonhill a few weeks ago. (It’s not far from Coatbridge.) The modern additions (to the right above) spoil it a bit.
This is a zoom on the central part.
I tried motoring round the estate but it was fenced off with signs and stuff. There was a road up the left hand side, though, so I got this:-
I really wanted to get closer to the entrance block round the front. The guys at the gatehouse told me you needed permission for photos from the grounds so I didn’t pudh it.
There is, however, such a photo on flickr – taken by someone who likes to have their dog in the picture. I wonder if he/she had permission?
There was a minor deco factory building further round the estate, MET Fabrications.
Strong verticals and horizontals here and typical 30s windows. I like the offset stairwell.
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Posted in Architecture, Art Deco, Cinemas at 10:00 am on 25 April 2012
We strolled along the road (St Aldate’s?) which led to Christ Church College and I pointed out the Cornish Pasty Company’s outlet. Pasties being in the news the good lady said, “Do you fancy a pasty, then?” I assented and we bought pasties for the first time since we were in Cornwall nearly 20 years ago. She had a pork and apple and I chose lamb with mint. Very nice they were too. A bit pricey mind. I wouldn’t want one for lunch every day.
Here’s another Art Deco building I found.
Then there was this blocky Odeon Cinema.
Its brick built nature reminded me of the former Embassy Cinema in Braintree.
The window above the entrance is striking. The frieze above that seems to have lost its surrounding (and Fanatical its F.)
Down the lane past the entrance was a square with a market. In one corner was the deco-ish Old Fire Station.
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Posted in Architecture, Art Deco, Trips at 8:44 pm on 24 April 2012
I hadn’t researched Oxford much before going there. I assumed it would be a bit like Cambridge with some Art Deco in the town centre but I wasn’t expecting to see something stunning like this in amongst all the mediæval stuff in the University part of town.
It was obviously being gutted/refurbished – the insides were all gone and turned into a building site; as witnessed by the crane. It looked even better from the corner!
I have since discovered it’s the New Bodleian Library.
More conventional deco was to be found in the shopping areas.
This is the New Theatre.
The facade extends along the street.
There was this set of shops
I wasn’t quite sure whether the Job Centre was deco or not. It has a nice doorway whatever.
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Posted in Architecture, Art Deco at 11:05 pm on 19 April 2012
Almost the first interesting building we came across in and around the town centre was shielded behind hoardings but it was obviously a once important institutional building. It turns out it used to house the Gloucester College of Art and Technology. It’s not really bent, I couldn’t get far enough back for one shot so this is a stitch. I only just caught this one. It had signs on it saying it was about to be demolished. Such a pity that a use couldn’t be found for it.
I have found another picture of the building at Panoramio.
This site shows some of the detailing.
Also check out here which shows a few of the internal features.
The good lady thinks it’s a scandal that it’s all to go. So do I.
Gloucester was further well served in an Art Deco sense by a full-on Deco Debenham’s. It’s on a corner with a long frontage down the side street. Impossible to get in one shot. (Or a decent stitch.)
We also found a Marks & Spencer (again I couldn’t get far enough back for anything but a side shot)
and a Halifax – very minor deco, and those wires in the way!
Four Art Deco buildings, one an absolute belter, one a particularly sad sight, and we were only there for an hour!
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Posted in Architecture, Art Deco, Trips at 10:00 am on 18 April 2012
There is a nice block of flats called Cambray Court located in the centre of Cheltenham. Reminiscent of Kelvin Court, Glasgow.
This is Monsoon. Originally a Burton’s. The link has some good pictures of the detailing.
Now Poundland. Goodness knows what it was to begin with.
Starbucks. Ditto.
Art Deco houses on Evesham Road. Amazingly the original glazing seems to still be in place. (They look like Critall windows to me.) Compare and contrast with Silver End.
The upward curve on the wall at the side is nice on that first one. Three of this collection of 5 buildings are set in a little crescent off the main road:-
The last two semis of the five:-
Cheek by jowl with the previous semi. Glazing replaced. (Eyes poked out):-
The next house along has suffered a similar fate.
Not a bad haul of deco in Cheltenham, then, for a three hour visit.
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Posted in Art Deco, Trips at 10:00 am on 17 April 2012
After Stratford we travelled down to Cheltenham the next day.
Imagine my surprise on suddenly seeing a very big and modern Art Deco building just off a roundabout. I turned into the road and found it was opposite a (previously unsignposted) Park and Ride.
The building is the headquarters of UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.
Note the rounded portico and balcony plus the stepping. In this it’s reminiscent of the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea and also of the Rothesay Pavilion. (More so of the latter since the Rothesay Pavilion isn’t rendered in white.)
Below is the block by the entrance gate. It has nice, strong, white verticals set off by the crosses top and bottom.
This good view of the entrance is from geograph. Note the rounded gatehouse.

On coming back to the Park and Ride much later in the day I took this close up.
Edited to add:- I tried to find out from the net when the building was designed and constructed and who the architect was but kept getting information on Higher Education courses instead.
I found a view of the UCAS building from above (Click on link. You can zoom in on the UCAS building which is just below the top bend in the blue line.)
From a bit nearer in to Cheltenham, down Evesham Road, I took this photo of another modern building with deco styling.
This one was nearer to the UCAS building and just off Evesham Road. I think it’s called Cleeve House.
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