In 2009 I posted photos of Art Deco buildings in Chester.

Last September we took a trip into the city again from our stop at nearby Hawarden. Since we were approaching the city by a different route I found some more buildings to photograph.

A block of shops on Christleton Road. Some Art Deco style here, roofline, rule of three in main building windows:-

I only noticed the above because I had stopped to photograph Tanner’s Wines. Note horizontals, verticals, glazing, rule of three in frontage, clock.

Frontage:-

Other side view:-

“Sunburst” doors. Deco par excellence:-

In the city centre were a few more buildings I’d missed the previous time.

Body Shop, minor Deco touches, (flat) roof line, rule of three in centre windows:-

Deichman. On the cusp of Deco:-

I managed to get Marks and Spencer this time:-

Detail. Note “sunburst” balcony:-

Apart from the suffix on my previous Durham post you knew this was coming anyway. I can’t seem to go anywhere without seeing Art Deco/Modernist buildings.

Somehow though and despite my experience in Chester last year, I thought pickings in Durham would be small.

Yet entering the main square in Durham the first building we came across was Boots.

There was construction work going on in the square which is why the photo is cropped tightly. Down a narrow street leading off the square there was this:-

I forget who the tenant of the building is now but the Burton’s shop in Durham at the moment is actually the other side of the street from this.

This is the view from the window of the car park we used.

I took this photo because of the roofline of the building just across the river which reminded me of the former Raith Cinema.

Just for contrast here’s one of the River Wear from below the Cathedal (and without any Deco.) There’s a weir stretching from the building on the left diagonally across the river and one of Durham’s bridges in the distance.

On the way out of town I pulled into a cul-de-sac to check the map. The street was full of thirties houses!

The third semi down still has its original Critall windows.

The last thing I expected to find in Chester on our trip was Art Deco buildings, but it was riddled with them.

Just outside the city wall, right where the clock is, lies this former Burton’s.

Almost opposite Burton’s was an Art Deco (former?) Marks & Spencer which was so tall and wide I couldn’t photograph it. I also can’t find a picture of it on the web.

Further along the same road was what is now a night club or something (called Brannigan’s and Lot 76) but looks as if it was once a cinema.

Most strikingly, and inside the city wall, was the now disused Odeon Cinema. A great example of Art Deco in the fascist tendency. On Flickr I found these pictures from when it was still open. I particularly like the trianguloid columns.

Here’s a very minor example of Art Deco just opposite Lot 76.

The good lady and myself hied ourselves off for a few days this week ticking places off the “to see, to do” list.

Our first stop was Chester.

It’s an idiosyncratic city, certainly. Lots of Tudor (or Tudor style) buildings and the famous rows – colonnaded terraces of shops above shops.

This was the most impressive building of that type.

Tudor shops in Chester

There was scaffolding on the row on this one. Behind it the place opened out into a modern shopping mall which could have been anywhere.

Here’s another example. Note the nearest upper shop’s name. Shuropody. (Shudder.)

Tudor building showing row

It was very pleasant strolling along the rows at night after the shops had shut. It had been a bit hectic and crowded during the day.

Like York, Chester still has a walkable city wall, though it came down to ground level on the side of the city nearest the river. This clock stands above one of the entrance gates to the walled part. Unfortunately the sky was a bit bright behind it.

Chester wall clock

This one was outside the wall. Still traditional Tudor in style but the incongruousness with the contrast to the shop’s name forced me to photograph it.

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