Pillar box / J W Penfold

Architect: J W Penfold, 1866. This popular design was used from 1866-79. The post box has a hexagonal cross-section, with cap decorated by leaves and acorn finial. Royal coat-of-arms above aperture. Red-painted cast iron. Grade II listed. Meyrick Road, Bournemouth, Dorset.

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First Municipal Beach Hut / 1909

'Bournemouth Beach Bungalow' designed by Frederick Percy Dolamore, Chief Assistant Borough Engineer & Surveyor, 1909. First municipal beach hut in the UK [source: blue plaque, Bournemouth Borough Council}. Bournemouth, Dorset.

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Accessible Beach Huts / exterior detail

Architects: a: b: i: r: Architects and Peter Lewis of AEREA Design, 2011. Beach hut redesign for wheelchair and visually-impaired users, decorated with brightly-coloured plywood fins. Boscombe, Dorset.

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'From Dawn until Dusk' / by Simon Hitchens

Public sculpture, comprising twin granite slabs split from one block of >30 tonnes, with representations of sun and moon discs. Commissioned by Bournemouth Borough Council, 2008. Close to the pier entrance, Boscombe, Dorset.

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Boscombe Pier / from beach

The first pier was built here in 1889, however the present concrete-piled structure is a post-WW2 reconstruction. In 2008 there was  a £2.4 million restoration. The rocks in the foreground, shaped into the forms of local coastal landmarks, are used for bouldering. Boscombe, nr Bournemouth, Dorset.

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Bournemouth House / Bournemouth University

Library, Health & Social Sciences Faculty,  Lansdowne campus. Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, Dorset.

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The Bandstand / Lower Gardens

View of the 'New' Bandstand of 1933, which replaced an earlier Victorian timber structure of 1884. The windows are folded-back for performances. In the Grade II listed Lower Gardens, Bournemouth, Dorset.

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The Roundhouse / Bournemouth

Hotel of quintessential '60s design on a circular plan with 2 levels of parking accessed via a spiral ramp, floor 3 providing restaurant, bar and communal areas, and 3 storeys of residential rooms above that. Developed by Dekotel Ltd., opened 1969. Bournemouth, Dorset.

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Bournemouth Pier / promenade

Bournemouth, Dorset.

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Former Bathing Station / Bournemouth West Beach

Now 'Happyland Amusements', originally opened 1939 as a public bathing station and shelter, with costumes for hire, changing rooms and places to sunbathe (including the roof). It cost £13,246 to be built in Moderne style by Messrs W Hayward & Sons [source: Bournemouth Daily Echo, 13 Aug 2014]. Bournemouth, Dorset.

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Grace House / Poole

Former warehouse of 4-storeys, stucco over Flemish-bond brick,  mid-C19. Grade II listed. 21 The Quay, Poole, Dorset.

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Utopia Brides / Godstone

Residential terrace called Southview Cottages, with attached shop. Godstone, Surrey, UK.

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St Alexander's Church / Warsaw

Architect: Chrystian Piotr Aigner, 1825. Rebuilt 1952 after WW2 destruction. Three Crosses Square, Warsaw, Poland.

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Marriott Warsaw / looking up

A.k.a. Centrum LIM, 1989, designed by  Jerzy Skrzypczak, Andrzej Bielobradek, and Krzysztof Stefanski, 43 floors. Downtown Warsaw, Poland.

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KPMG Building / Warsaw

Part of HB Reavis’ Gdański Business Center, this building completed 2014. Close to the Dworzec Gdański Metro Station, Warsaw, Poland.

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Saxon Garden / Warsaw

Park established by King Augustus II the Strong in early C18 and opened to the public in May 1727, making it the first public park in Poland and beyond. Today it's a splendid central city park with many interesting green and architectural elements. Ogród Saski, Warsaw, Poland.

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Świętokrzyska / Metro Exit

Exit from Metro station at Świętokrzyska and Marszałkowska streets, Warszawa, Poland.

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Przechodnia 2 / "Za Zelazna Brama"

Capitalist marketing meets Socialist modernism. Huge advertisement on the side of an apartment complex built during the period 1965-1972, designed by architects Jan Furman, Andrzej Skopiński and Jerzy Czyż. Close to the Saxon Garden, Warsaw, Poland.

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'Temple of Vesta' / Saxon Garden (2 pics)

Architect: Henryk Marconi, 1852. Water-tower designed after the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli nr. Rome. It provides a gravity-feed to the various fountains and water features in the park. Saxon Garden, Central Warsaw, Poland.

(above pic All Rights Reserved)

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Vostok / Muzeum Techniki

Vostok spaceship exhibit at the Technology Museum, Warsaw. It was designed by Sergei Korolev et al of the USSR, a version of which was flown by Yuri Gagarin in 1961 to become the first man in space. The polished metal sphere behind is a model of Sputnik, the first man-made orbiting satellite of 1957. Muzeum Techniki, PKiN, plac Defilad 1, Warszawa, Poland.

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Intraco Building / Warsaw

Architect: Byggnadsproduktion AB, 1975, (new glass curtain wall 1999). 39 floors, 107m. Ul Stawki 2, Warsaw, Poland.

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House Mosaic / Old Town Warsaw

House in the Old Town decorated by a mosaic in the Socialist Realism style. Stare Miasto, Warsaw, Poland.

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Hotel Intercontinental / from PKiN

Architect: Tadeusz Spychala, 2003. 48 floors over 5 basement levels. Notable for the lower-half cut-out to reduce daylight restriction to its neighbours. Ul. Emilii Plater 49, Warsaw, Poland.

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PKiN observation deck / north vista

North vista of Warsaw from floor XXX of the Palace of Culture & Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki). The skyscraper to the left is Cosmopolitan Twarda designed by Helmut Jahn, 2014. Warsaw, Poland.

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PKiN level XXX / ceiling

At level 30 of the Palace of Culture & Science where, looking up, a chandelier hangs from the vaulted ceiling. This is the level of the public observation deck, although there are 42 floors in all. Pałac Kultury i Nauki,  plac Defilad 1, Warszawa, Poland.

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Złota 44 / from PKiN

Architects: Studio Daniel Libeskind and Artchitecture sp. z o.o., 2016. Engineers: Arup. Poland's tallest residential tower of 192m, 54 floors. Seen from the viewing deck of the Palace of Culture & Science. Ulica Złota 44-46, Warsaw, Poland.

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Centrum LIM / from PKiN

Centrum LIM, 1989, designed by  Jerzy Skrzypczak, Andrzej Bielobradek, and Krzysztof Stefanski, aka the Marriott, 43 floors. Seen from the viewing deck of the Palace of Culture & Science. Downtown Warsaw, Poland.

(CC BY-NC-SA attribute: Images George Rex)

Supreme Court / Krasinski Square (2 images)

Architect: Marek Budzynski. 1999, Supreme Court of the Republic of Poland. Also the important 'Warsaw Uprising Monument', 1989, by sculptor Wincenty Kućma and architect Jacek Budyn. Warsaw, Poland.

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Doorway / 9 New Town Market

Door with swan decoration over transom. At 9 Rynek Nowego Miasta, Warsaw, Poland.

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Teatr WARSawy / facade

Theatre established 2013 in the New Town Market district. I think this building used to be a cinema, but its frieze now has some frescos/paintings on a theatrical theme. New Town Market 5, 00-229 Warszawa, Poland.

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New Town / Warsaw

View from beside the theatre in New Town Market. "New" is a bit misleading as the location dates from the C15 and lies just north of the Old Town, connected by Freta St. However, like the Old Town, this neighbourhood was razed to the ground by the Nazis after the 1944 Warsaw Uprising and has been reconstructed using historical plans and images. Warsaw, Poland.

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POLIN / Warsaw

Lahdelm & Mahlamaki Architects (Finland), 2013. Museum of the History of the Polish Jews, on the site of the old Warsaw Ghetto. Main materials are glass, copper and concrete.  Muranów, Warsaw, Poland.

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Cosmopolitan Twarda / Warsaw

Architect: Helmut Jahn, 2014. Residential 165m tower with 44 floors, 254 apartments, hotel, office and retail.

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Elevator exterior / Złote Tarasy

Exterior detail of passenger elevator hoistway at Złote Tarasy. With horizontal fins, translucent panels and contrasting red signage. Downtown Warsaw, Poland.

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Złote Tarasy / Golden Terraces (2 images)

Architects: The Jerde Partnership, 2007. Large shopping mall with undulating glass roof. In central Warsaw, Poland.

(Both images CC BY-NC-SA)

Hard Rock Cafe / Warsaw

Downtown Warsaw, Poland.

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Mail Box / Warsaw

Wall-mounted mail box, Warsaw, Poland.

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Oxford Tower / Centrum LIM

Left: Oxford Tower, 1979, designed by Jerzy Skrzypczak, H. Świergocka-Kaim, and Wojciech Grzybowski, 42 floors.

Right: Centrum LIM, 1989, designed by  Jerzy Skrzypczak, Andrzej Bielobradek, and Krzysztof Stefanski, aka the Marriott, 43 floors.

The low building in the foreground is a cross-city railway station. Downtown Warsaw, Poland.

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Palace Mostowskich / Warsaw

Architect: Antoni Corazzi, 1820s, in neo-classical style. The current building is a restoration by architect Zygmunt Stępiński, 1949.  Now the HQ of the Metropolitan Police. Warsaw, Poland.

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Soldier Monument of the 1st Polish Army / by Xawery Dunikowskiego

Designed by sculptor Xawery Dunikowskiego (1875-1964), grey granite, height 8m, 1963, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Battle of Lenino. At the Square of Political Prisoners of Stalinism, Warsaw, Poland.

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PKiN / Hall of Congress

Architect: Lev Rudnev, 1955, part of the Palace of Culture & Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki). The neo-classical style Congress Hall can seat almost 2,800 delegates on 4 levels. Downtown Warsaw, Poland.

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PKiN / Warsaw (2 images)

Architect: Lev Rudnev, 1955, in a Stalinist-Gothic style similar to the seven Stalinist Skyscrapers in Moscow. The Palace of Culture and Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki) was a controversial "gift" from the USSR. Now seen in historical perspective, a symbol of the city and a contrast to the modern high-rises surrounding. Downtown Warsaw, Poland.

The top of the spire reaches 237m; I was told that there was a proposal to have a statue of Stalin here, but fortunately wiser thoughts prevailed! The clock faces were added at the turn of the Millennium. 

(Both pics CC BY-NC-SA)

Royal Castle / Warsaw

Original architect: Giovanni Battista Trevano, 1619, last reconstruction completed 1984. Plac Zamkowy 4, 00-277 Warszawa, Poland.

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Street Sign / Love Lane

Street sign fixed to knapped flint wall, Margate, Thanet District, Kent, UK.

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The Droit House / Margate (2 images)

Originally built 1828 as a harbour-dues/customs office, now an Information Centre. Destroyed by enemy bombing in WW2, it was rebuilt in 1947 to the original plans. Later refurbished and given a circular extension using designs by Terry Farrell and Partners, c.2002.

Above the portico is a neon installation "I Never Stopped Loving You" (2010) gifted by artist and past Margate resident Tracey Emin. Stone Pier, Margate, Thanet District, Kent, UK.

(Both pics: All Rights Reserved)