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Oh, no. I knew someone would start this thread eventually. I studied History of Architecture at school, and a love of fine buildings has stuck with me to this day, 42 years later.

Sagrada Famillia

Rijkmuseem

The Shard

Hampton Court Palace

St. Pauls Cathedral

Chester Cathedral

Nou Camp/Bernabau

Sydney Opera House

Charing Cross Hospital (for the views from the 14th floor Theatres)

I could, and probably will go on, and on.

 

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Not had deep thoughts about buildings, but, although not one of these fine international world famous buildings, I was always impressed with this office block in St Albans, the Ziggurat. Built out of reflective glass, slightly angled, so that whichever direction you look at it, you would see the sky and the clouds.  Unfortunately it was bought by developers last year, turned into flats, all the glass was removed now and covered in red brick.  But it did look nice.

 

 

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Jam Eater  1.(noun. jam eeter) A Resident of Whitehaven or Workington. Offensive.  It is now a term of abuse that both towns of West Cumbria use for each other especially at Workington/Whitehaven rugby league derby matches.

St Albans Centurions Website 

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The Gothic Temple, Stowe. I've stayed there a couple of times. The building is triangular, with a circular central room on the ground floor, and the view from the top of the tower on the right is wonderful.

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Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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This place always used to catch my eye when going up and down the A1 as a kid Compared to all the other rather grim-looking stops on the road, it stood out, just for the roof. A product of the Fifties, the second photo shows it in the original state, before they built a cafe into the structure.

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Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Rochdale town hall is impressive.  (lots of the northern town halls are, flashing the wealth of the times)

Emily Moor tower (great views from the top)

 

With the best, thats a good bit of PR, though I would say the Bedford team, theres, like, you know, 13 blokes who can get together at the weekend to have a game together, which doesnt point to expansion of the game. Point, yeah go on!

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4 hours ago, Bleep1673 said:

Central Library, Manchester

It is a stunning building , went in there in the mid ninetys to investigate a patent I was declaring , before the internet changed everything 

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46 minutes ago, Trevorkfevfan said:

I have always admired St Pancras Station frontage, the hotel. Saw an interesting program about its restoration. I have a great admiration for a lot of Victorian Railway archtitecture.

St Pancras is even better now they've cleaned it up. Mind you, it was when it was dark and dirty that Douglas Adams used it as an alternate-reality version of Valhalla.

This fine bit of terracotta is the Leysian Mission near Old Street underground station. I used to work nearby and always liked to see the building. It is now the Imperial Hall hotel.

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Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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When they redesigned the frontage to the Royal Ontario Museum I wasn't 100% taken with it, but after a while and several dozen visits to exhibits and various lectures over the years I've really grown to love the way the cleanly modern materials and totally unorthodox lines grow out of the classical foundations.  

That the dinosaur exhibit fills much of the new frontage just adds to the feeling of the old passing to the new.

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In the Bill Bryson book, Notes from a Small Island, he recommends when in a British town or city, lifting your eyes above the plate glass shop frontage and you'll see some beautiful buildings. I've found this to be very true.

100% League 0% Union

Just because I don't know doesn't mean I don't understand

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And of course, the Piece Hall in Halifax!

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Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Not what I'd call tasteful, but Cao-Dai churches are an absolute riot of colour. An unusual religion - Victor Hugo, Louis Pasteur, Lenin and Shakespeare are some of their secular saints, alongside more spiritual figures.

caodai-banner-01.jpg

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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The Dunmore Pineapple.

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Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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It's so hard to have an absolute favourite that I may have to slightly dodge the question, but Durham Cathedral has to be up there, as does my current place of employment (when not furloughed!), Salisbury Cathedral.

Years ago, when I worked in local government in North Yorkshire, I was chatting to one of the staff of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority at the end of a meeting.  He said he had worked in Canada for a while and really got into ice hockey.  He said he had no idea that Durham then had, in the Wasps, one of Britain's best teams.  I said that I would take him to a game there one Sunday, and we would go early enough to visit the cathedral, to which, it had transpired, he had never been.

When we went through the west end entrance to the cathedral, he was overwhelmed with awe by the sheer massiveness of the Norman architecture as he gazed into the distance, as it were.  he said, "It just makes you want to say, 'Jesus Christ!' "  My predictable reply was, "Well, yes, that's sort of the idea!"

He enjoyed the Wasps' hockey match too!

For secular buildings, I agree that the Piece Hall takes some beating.  In my local government days, I had to attend a few meetings at Halifax town hall, which prompted me to say to a female colleague that it was a shame that she could not, at first hand, appreciate one of the finest expressions of Victorian civic pride that I had ever had the privilege to see.  I was, of course, referring to the quite magnificent gents urinals. 

 

 

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5 hours ago, Futtocks said:

This place always used to catch my eye when going up and down the A1 as a kid Compared to all the other rather grim-looking stops on the road, it stood out, just for the roof. A product of the Fifties, the second photo shows it in the original state, before they built a cafe into the structure.

geograph-173949-by-richard-croft.jpg?w=640

17c79fbb2f04f24a973003705116323b.jpg

I wholly agree, Futtocks.  It caught my eye when I was a young man!

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8 hours ago, Bleep1673 said:

Oh, no. I knew someone would start this thread eventually. I studied History of Architecture at school, and a love of fine buildings has stuck with me to this day, 42 years later.

Sagrada Famillia

Rijkmuseem

The Shard

Hampton Court Palace

St. Pauls Cathedral

Chester Cathedral

Nou Camp/Bernabau

Sydney Opera House

Charing Cross Hospital (for the views from the 14th floor Theatres)

I could, and probably will go on, and on.

 

A great list, Bleep.  Please do go on and on!

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