Streamline Worcestershire
Hardback Book September 2017
Recent Posts: The Art Deco Magpie
Remembering the Fallen – Pre-War ODEONs Continued
ODEON The a In my last post, I celebrated the surviving pre-war ODEONs that still operate as cinemas. It therefore seems appropriate, to follow it up with a short tribute to those less fortunate examples of the chain’s rapid 1930s expansion. As mentioned, over 80 of the 140 buildings, commissioned by the ODEON chain have […]
Survivors – The Remaining Pre-War ODEON Cinemas.
Amongst the wealth of ground-breaking architecture that saw construction across these isles during the 1930s, the cinema must surely be considered to have had the greatest impact. No other type of building could have managed to get away with imposing such outlandish, extravagant and radical exteriors on the average British high street. Whether it was […]
Streamline Worcestershire – Adventures With The Printed Page
14 months ago, I assigned myself the task of researching and photographing of all of the surviving Art Deco and early modernist architecture in my home county of Worcestershire. The resulting images would then be compiled together into a booklet of some kind, with a few copies printed up for posterity. A nice straightforward achievable […]
Assets or Eyesores? Plymouth’s Art Deco Survivors
The historic naval city of Plymouth is said to have been one of, if not THE worst, victims of bombing in this country during WWII. In an attempt to obliterate the Royal Docklands at HMRN Davenport, the Luftwaffe relentlessly targeted the area between 1940 and 1944, reducing large areas of Britain’s ‘Ocean City’ […]
Down in a Tube Station at Midday – Charles Holden’s Northern Piccadilly Line Masterpieces
“Why are you all taking photos?… It’s just a station!” barks a baffled commuter, as she carves through our group. It’s understandable I suppose. Millions use London’s underground tube network on a daily basis, reducing the impact of even the most awe inspiring stations to mere pieces of urban monotony, each to be navigated as swiftly and painlessly as possible. For those with […]
The Queen Mary Takes Me: A Tribute to Craig Anderson
Blogging is a fascinating phenomenon. WordPress alone is said to be home to over 80 million posts a month, with authors busy hammering out articles on pretty much anything you can possibly imagine. I follow a small collection of diverse sites, all of which I thoroughly enjoy, even if I am guilty of being a […]
Bingo, Striptease & Jazz; A Short History of Dudley Hippodrome
All over Britain countless former cinemas and theatres lay vacant, slowly deteriorating while a decision on their future is debated. A select few, largely thanks to pockets of enthusiasts and community groups, get rescued from the wrecking ball, restored and preserved for future generations to enjoy. With a professional, creative and passionate approach, many of these […]
Animals for the Kids, Tectons for Dad – the Concrete Architecture of Dudley Zoological Gardens
If you exclude actual buildings, I’d wager that there are few 1930’s structures in England more famous than the Penguin Pool at London Zoo. Even those with a mere cursory knowledge of the UK’s key tourist attractions will be familiar with it. Famous in period, thanks to its innovative construction and wondrous sweeping lines, it […]
Startling, Monstrous, Brutal, Magical – An Introduction to Scott’s RSC Memorial Theatre
It’s unspeakably cold and bleak, but myself and my long suffering sweetheart have been granted a night away without our ‘charming’ offspring, so despite the weather, we’re determined to enjoy a mini-break. The destination of choice is Stratford upon Avon. No, we haven’t got tickets to a play, yes yes I know, because it was sold […]
Category Archives: Interiors
Heatherdale: A Machine For Living In
“A house is a Machine for living in. A famous French architect said this a few years ago and a great many people did not understand him. They thought he must mean that a house ought to look like a … Continue reading
Northern Neon Lights
Nestled in a fairly nondescript area on the north-westerly drag out of Worcester sits one of the most iconic 1930s buildings in the city: a towering symmetrical red brick monster called Northwick. Appearing from virtually out of nowhere, it can … Continue reading
Kitchentopia
Well it was a long time coming but on Saturday February 13th we moved into our kitchen. Key utensils, bags of saucepans and cans of miscellaneous grub were whisked from one end of the flat to the other as efficiently … Continue reading
The Reshuffle Pt1 – A Study in Grey
2015 is going to yield some fairly major changes in art deco magpie hq. The forthcoming arrival of our second bright young thing has required us to have a rethink about the layout of the flat and presented a September deadline. The plan is … Continue reading
Parallel Lines
If there’s better way to spend down time during the festive season than painting lines on a wall, then I’m not aware of it! The inspiration for this genius idea came from a photo of the inside of the ‘watch room’ at Duxford Air … Continue reading
Cinema Style – Fin
After two weeks of evenings spent scaling the heady heights of our lounge on a wobbly ladder we have completion in the Graham & Brown Cinema wallpaper project. It’s subtle but very effective, even if it doesn’t exactly dazzle in the … Continue reading
