Posted in Architecture, History at 12:00 on 17 February 2026
Holy Trinity Church is in the centre of St Andrews, in what is a kind of town square, two sides of which are pedestrianised. It is the traditional Parish Church for the town and was where John Knox helped to start the Scottish Reformation.
For some reason it was open when we were in the town in September 2024 so we took the chance to have a look around.
East window:-

Door and west window:

The pulpit is fairly elaborate and lit up from within:-


The wooden ceiling is also worth a look, containing several armorial crests:-

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Posted in Architecture, Trips at 12:00 on 21 January 2026
Blackwell is a house built in the Arts & Crafts style near Bowness-on-Wndermere in the Lake District. It was designed by Baillie Scott and erected between 1898 and 1900 as a holiday home for Manchetser brewer Edward Holt.
Being of that era it is not perhaps surprising that the house and some of its contents bear a similarity to the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh who was a contemporary.
House from car park:-

Outhouse (to right above):-

House from terrace, a stitch of two photos:-

Detail of roan pipe:-

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Posted in Architecture, Art Deco, Trips at 12:00 on 21 December 2025
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.

The statue stood outside this fairly impressive building:-

Just across the road was this building:-

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

Detail:-

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Posted in Architecture, Trips at 12:00 on 16 December 2025
Furness Abbey is a former monastery located in the north of Barrow-in-Furness. It was once the second wealthiest Cistercian monastery in England and it held large tracts of land in Cumbria and Lancashire. It was of course disestablished in the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Nowadays it’s a ruin – or several ruins but it’s certainly worth going to see if you’re near Barrow.



Part of what remians is reinforced by steel supports:-



A stream runs under this bit:-




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Posted in Architecture, Art Deco at 12:00 on 1 December 2025
Shop block:-

Doorway, pediment and fanlight:-

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

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

John Whinnerah Institute, Abbey Road aspect:-

Stitch of frontage:-

Doorway:-

Hindpool Road aspect of John Whinnerah Institute:-

Triangular Window detail:-

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Posted in Architecture, Trips at 12:00 on 20 November 2025
Just up Abbey Road from the Nan Tait Centre in Barrow was the Salvation Army Building:-

The Old Fire Station is also on Abbey Road:-


But Barrow Town Hall (on Duke Street) is very impressive. A lot of these Victorian era municipal buildings are:-

Reverse view:-

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Posted in Architecture, Trips at 22:40 on 18 November 2025
Last September we paid a visit to Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria.
There are some fine buildings in the town, including the former Technical School, now the Nan Tait Centre, on Abbey Road.

Side of building with Student’s Entrance:-

Frontage. (Stitch of two photos.):-

Frieze:-

Entrance:-

Plaque:-

Second frieze:-

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Posted in Architecture, Art, Glasgow at 12:00 on 22 October 2025
Below are photos of the reconstructed interior of the Glasgow house of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife Margaret Mcdonald inside the Hunterian Art Gallery, Hillhead Street, Glasgow (see previous post.)
Entrance Hall, Mackintosh House, Hunterian Art Gallery:-

Hall mirror:-

Off the hall is the Dining Room whos efirniture is reminiscent of the dining room in Hill House which Mackintosh designed for the publisher Walter Blackie:-


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Posted in Architecture, Glasgow at 12:00 on 16 October 2025
The Mackintosh house is an extension to the original Hunterian Art Gallery on Hillhead Street off University Avenue in Glasgow. It is a replica of the Glasgow house Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife Margaret Macdonald.
The house’s facade on Hillhead Street:-

Lower window and door. The door here is obviously not accessible. Entry is from inside the Art Gallery:-

The “house” is externally rendered in concrete. Glasgow University buildings in background:-

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Posted in Architecture, Art Deco, Dumbarton FC at 12:00 on 15 October 2025
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.

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