twenty twenty five

We continued our the modernist X BDP Winter talks season, once more generously hosted by our friends at BDP Manchester. We talked about walking, with Stefi Orazi and Stephen Marland; about the 1960s regeneration of Salford with Tanja Poppelreuter; and about the Danish influence on British design with Bruce Peter. 

In March we launched our first publication of the year - Cabin Crew, in which Peter Halliday and Beth Dalton look at the work of Hird & Brooks, a celebrated firm of modernist architects based in South Wales and a series of little-known holiday cabin sites, hidden away in rural Wales and the Scottish Highlands.

With Spring came the mooching season and our intrepid mooch leader Steve Marland meandered around the country with a happy band of followers to Stockport, Bury, Altrincham, Strangeways, Bradford, Halifax, Southport, Milton Keynes, Blackburn, Morecambe, Burnley, Huddersfield, Stretford, Preston, Rochdale, Newcastle and Ardwick. Meanwhile there were chapter led tours in Sheffield and Bristol and a bookfair tie in, in Marylebone.

In June we published Quiet Light: Photographs by Gunner Gu, showcasing Manchester's modernist buildings in the milky light of deserted early morning streets. The exhibition of the photgraphs ran at the modernist's Port Street gallery space from May to June.

In July came The Perspectivists, an exhibition of forgotten perspective paintings rediscovered in the corridors and cupboards of the University of Manchester, curated by Richard Brook and Martin Dodge.

August

In August we took a flight with the BEAtles on British European Airways as we published Red Square in which Phillip Pennington sheds light on the creation of the BEA corporate identity and illustrates the breadth of its application through a fascinating series of images ranging from ash trays to airliners.

September

By September we had added another two cities to our architectural tour app—thanks to our chapter leads in Huddersfield and Sheffield, we could now explore West and South Yorkshire.

September also took us to the coastal areas of Britain in our exhibition Concrete at War by Mark Wrigley. Concrete at War is a photographic study documenting Britain's coastal wartime defences.

October

In October, for the third year running, the Modernist Book Fair returned to Vitsœ in Marylebone—our self-styled celebration of independent publishing on modernist architecture. This year we featured UHM! publications, Blue Crow Media, Stefi Orazi, the Twentieth Century Society, and Nick Haseltine.

October also saw the publication of our biggest book yet: Modernist Scotland. Bruce Peter takes us on an architectural journey through 150 post-war buildings across 416 pages—a fully illustrated exploration of Scotland's bold modernist legacy. The book was featured in The Scotsman, The Herald, and *Wallpaper and launched at the Glasgow School of Art.

Also in October, the Bristol Modernist Society joined us as our newest chapter, launching in style with BRUTAL Bristol: an exhibition, city tour, and photo walk exploring the city's modernist and brutalist heritage.

Not only that, but we also launched our very own coffee! We dipped our biscuits into the coffee world in partnership with Cuppers Choice of Sheffield, and we aim to expand our range in 2026.

November

In November we exhibited miniature modernism from the University of Manchester B15 Modelmaking Workshop. Curated by Eamonn Canniffe and Scott Miller, these architectural models—each representing a twentieth-century modernist landmark—were created by student groups at the University of Manchester School of Architecture between 1991 and 1998.

We also collaborated with the Design Council and Special Collections at Manchester Metropolitan University on our final publication of the year: Projecting British Design—the Design Council Slide Collection. The book features 100 transparencies showcasing industrial and product design from the 1960s and 70s, including a Miffy toys, a Sony Walkman, a Chopper bike, and even a set of false teeth.

December

The end of the year brought another new collaboration. Commonplace, a photographic magazine celebrating modernist buildings and places across Britain and Ireland.

Born from a collaboration between the modernist and Uhm! Publishing, it explores the in-between places and small sites that lie beyond the mainstream modernist canon—those commonplaces that deserve a second look.

The modernist magazine is still at the heart of everything we publish. We're deeply grateful to Trevor and Craig Johnson, and Lili Platt, who keep working their creative magic on every page. And a heartfelt thank you to our writers and photographers, who share their work so generously to bring you something wonderful.

Throughout the year our busy volunteers at chapters in Birmingham, Huddersfield, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Swansea continued to provide us with information and insights about their fabulous cities via social media - you can find them on Instagram @birminghammodernist, @leedsmodernist, @liverpoolmodernist, @manchestermodernist, @sheffieldmodernist, @swanseamodernist, @huddersfieldmodernist, @glasgowmodernist and our newest family member @bristolmodernist_ So MASSIVE thanks to all of them.

Finally, our deepest thanks to everyone who volunteers their time, commitment, and creative work to the Modernist Society. Without you, none of our events, exhibitions, or publications would be possible.

And thank you—yes, you—for attending our tours, buying our books, and visiting our exhibitions. With little or no public funding, your support keeps us going. Without it, we simply wouldn't exist.

Happy New Year from everyone at the modernist.