Archives » Art Deco

Roxy Cinema, Ulverston

The Roxy Cinema is fairly prominent as you pass through Ulverston to or from Barrow-in-Furness, standing as it does by the main A 590 road:-

Ulvertson Roxy Cinema

Note rule of three, and banding, plus flagpole.

Entrance, also the entrance to the Laurel and Hardy Museum:-

Entrance Roxy Cinema, Ulverston

From south, Art Deco lettering, banding on white background and rule of three in windows:-

Roxy Cinema, Ulverston

View from north:-

Side of Roxy Cinema, Ulverston

 

 

Ulverston

Ulverston in Cumbria, is the nearest biggish town to Barrow-in-Furness, about ten and a half miles further north. It was the birthplace of Stan Laurel of Laurel and Hardy fame. There is a Laurel and Hardy museum in the town which we didn’t visit and a statue of the pair in the town centre.

Laurel and Hardy Statue, Ulverston

The statue stood outside this fairly impressive building:-

Building, Ulverston

Just across the road was this building:-

A Building in Ulverston

The Tesco’s in the town was in a minor Art Deco style. Its upper windows are completely ruined:-

Minor Art Deco Tesco's Ulverston

Detail:-

Art Deco Detail Tesco's, Ulverston

 

 

 

Art Deco in Barrow-in-Furness (ii)

Shop block:-

Art Deco Shop Block, Barrow-in-Furness

Doorway, pediment and fanlight:-

Art Deco Door Surround and Pediment, Barrow-in-Furness

Lakeland House on Abbey Road. Stitch of two photos:-

Art Deco Building, Barrow-in-Furness

Central tower. Strong verticals and horizontals, rule of three in windows, streamline detailing:-

Lakeland House, Barrow, Central Tower

John Whinnerah Institute, Abbey Road aspect:-

Facade of Art Deco Building, Abbey Road, Barrow-in-Furness

Stitch of frontage:-

Stitch, Art Deco Building, Barrow-in-Furness

Doorway:-

Doorway, John Whinnerah Institute, Barrow-in-Furness

Hindpool Road aspect of John Whinnerah Institute:-

John Whinnerah Institute, Barrow, Hindpool Road

Triangular Window detail:-

aTriangular Window, John Whinnerah Institute, Barrow

Art Deco in Barrow-in-Furness (i)

Former Roxy Cinema, now an entertainment venue named Hollywood:-

Art Deco Building, Barrow-in-Furness

Former Roxy Cinema, Barrow

Former Marks & Spencer only recently closed:-

Art Deco Former M&S Barrow-in-Furness

Upper level of M&S (stitch of two photos):-

Frontage of Former M&S, Barrow

Dandy’s Fine Beds and Furniture:-

Art Deco Style Building, Barrow-in-Furness

Roofline detail:-

Detail, Dandy's, Barrrow-in-Furness

Scotland’s Art Deco Heritage 36: Mountblow Pavilion, Dalmuir

On the Sons’ home page, I spotted the building featured below.

It’s in a photo of the ladies’ team’s game at Mountblow, Dalmuir, (which sadly the Daughters of the Rock lost,) and shows in the background the football pavilion at Mountblow which has obviously been given a much needed make-over since these pictures were taken (not to mention these.)

The pavilion dates from 1937 and I’ve seen it many a time when passing the sports ground on a train but had never photographed it myself.

Now I won’t have to.

Glasgow’s Art Deco Heritage 21: Glasgow University Reading Room

Glasgow University’s Reading Room is on University Avenue, Glasgow:-

It is circular in shape but it’s really only the entrance doors and facade which look Deco. The rest is more like a post-war 1950s/60s building:-

Glasgow University Reading Room, University Avenue

Edinburgh’s Art Deco Heritage 23: Falcon Road West Flats

More than a hint of Art Deco style here. The flats are on Falcon Road West:-

Deco Style Flats, Edinburgh

Corner of Falcon Road West and Falcon Road:-

Art Deco Style Flats, Edinburgh

Looking up Falcon Road:-

Edinburgh Art Deco Flats

There are similar flats on Falcon Avenue.

MiM Mini Guides Nos 3 and 5.

 

The MiM mini guides are produced by Modernism in Metroland and feature the modernist buildings of a particular location or architect. They are A5 size and include text and colour images of the guides’ buildings.

Knowing my interest in the Art Deco and Modernist styles my elder son and his architect wife gave me the undernoted two mini guides as a birthday present last year. Both were compiled by Joshua Abbott.

MiM Mini Guide No. 3. Speculative Suburban Houses 1928-38.

MiM Mini Guide No. 5. Interwar Industrial Architecture:-

It is not so much the text of these kinds of books (or mini books if you prefer) as the illustrations which are the main aspect.

As the Metroland denomination implies the contents are all buildings from the London area.

Nevertheless they are a delight to anyone with a passion for the architeture of the inter-war years.

 

 

Dokkum, The Netherlands

In June last year we visited The Netherlands again. One of the day trips we took was to Dokkum, in Friesland.

On the way in to the town fom the car park, along the canal, I spotted this house (in that Dutch fashion known as De Stijl?) which is so Art Deco looking:-

House, Dokkum, The Netherlands

Further on was this scene which is so Dutch it’s almost a cliché, canal and windmill – with lovely bridge added in:-

Canal + Windmill, Dokkum, The Netherlands

The Town House in Dokkum has a carillon tower:-

Carillon, Dokkum, The Netherlands

Town House:-

Town House, Dokkum, The Netherlands

A sculpture in the twon:-

Sculpture, Dokkum, The Netherlands

Side view:-

Side View, Sculpture, Dokkum, The Netherlands

Another almost deco building:-

A Building in Dokkum, The Netherlands

Dokkum is one of Friesland’s eleven cities between which an ice-skating race known as the Elfstedentocht used to take place when there was ice on the canals. I suspect it’s extremely unlikely ever to be held again as the winters are no longer cold enough long enough for any ice to be safe to skate on. In honour of that history, though, the canal side benches in Dokkum are in the shape of an ice skate:-

Skate Bench, Dokkum, The Netherlands

In 2018 eleven artists designed a fountain each for the eleven cities. Dokkum’s is known as the Ice Fountain:-

Ice Fountain, Dokkum, The Netherlands

Ice Fountain information:-

Dokkum, The Netherlands, Ice Fountain Information

Perth Museum

Perth Museum recently relocated to the building which used to be Perth City Hall. It’s slap bang in the middle of the city so a good location.

The new museum’s main attraction is the Stone of Destiny, removed from Edinburgh Castle to be nearer to its spiritual home in Scone a couple of miles north of Perth itself.

Some of the exhibits have been transferred from the old Museum and Art Gallery in George Street, notably the St Madoes stone, which, in its new location, is now lit up to help highlight the carvings:-

St Madoes stone, Perth Museum, Scotland

Side and back views:-

Side of St Madoes Stone, Perth Museum

Perth Museum, St Madoes Stone

I particularly liked, though, the illumintaed map of Perth through the ages where different parts were lit up at different times to show the evolution of the town/city:-

Illuminated Map of Perth, Perth Museum

Perth Museum, Illuminated Map of  Perth

Then of course there was this picture of the famous old Pullars of Perth premises a building which verges on Art Deco:-

Art Deco Pullars, Perth, Scotland

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