Architecture Archives -

Coventry, the city that refused to stay down

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026March 19, 2026

Coventry Cathedral in sunlight, showing the roofless stone ruins of the old Gothic cathedral with its tall spire beside the modern cathedral building, which has a broad brick facade, a large cross and steps leading to the entrance under a clear blue sky

Coventry is one of those places that has had the sort of history that would have sent a lesser city quietly off for a lie …

Panoramic view of Norwich Cathedral rising above the city, with its tall stone spire, Romanesque cloisters, and surrounding green trees under a bright blue sky

Norwich and the unlikely triumph of a city doing things its own way

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026March 16, 2026

With a Norman cathedral, a crooked medieval street plan, a market that has been trading for centuries and a quietly rebellious streak, Norwich is one …

Eastgate Clock in Chester above the historic Eastgate Street, framed by black and white timber framed buildings and a sandstone arch, with people walking below on a bright sunny day.

City Breaks Historic Cities

Chester and the agreeable confusion of being almost in another country

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026March 13, 2026

With Roman walls, medieval Rows, a grand cathedral and a river that softens all that old stone, Chester is one of England’s most handsome historic …

Brighton Palace Pier stretching out over the sea at golden hour, with white pavilion-style buildings and two Union Jack flags on the towers, a calm blue sky, and a stone promenade in the foreground with a bench overlooking the water.

City Breaks Coastal City Breaks

Seagulls, sequins and seaweed, a Brighton love story

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 20, 2026

There are plenty of places in Britain where the sea meets the land and people try their best to enjoy the bit in between, but …

Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol lit up at dusk, with its stone towers and glowing cables spanning the dark Avon Gorge beneath a deep blue evening sky.

City Breaks Coastal City Breaks

Bristol, Brunel’s playground and Banksy’s outdoor gallery

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 19, 2026

Bristol is one of those cities that cannot decide what it wants to be, so it simply becomes everything at once. Medieval port. Georgian show-off. …

Modern waterfront scene in Leeds with colourful apartment blocks and glass-fronted offices lining a calm canal, narrowboats moored along the edges, and bright reflections mirrored in the still water under a clear blue sky

City Breaks Weekend Getaways

Leeds, where Victorian confidence meets modern caffeine dependence

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 19, 2026

Leeds is one of those places that people think they understand until they actually turn up. They imagine a sensible northern city that does its …

ong-exposure night photo of Aberdeen’s Marischal College, its granite façade lit in purple and warm white, with bright bus light trails streaking across the street under a deep blue sky

City Breaks Coastal City Breaks

Aberdeen, the granite city that learned to sparkle

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 17, 2026

Aberdeen has the kind of name that sounds faintly stern, like a headmaster who still believes in proper posture. It sits up in the northeast, …

Panoramic rooftop view over Oxford, with the domed Radcliffe Camera on the left and the pale stone spires and towers of nearby colleges and chapels stretching across the city under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds

City Breaks Historic Cities

Oxford, the city where even the pubs have academic credentials

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 16, 2026

There are places with history, and then there is Oxford, where the buildings look as if they have been standing in judgement since the Middle …

Night view of Newcastle Quayside with the illuminated Tyne Bridge, Swing Bridge, and High Level Bridge reflecting on the River Tyne

City Breaks Weekend Getaways

Newcastle, the curious case of Britain’s friendliest show-off

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 10, 2026

Newcastle upon Tyne is a city that never quite does what you expect. One moment you’re standing by Roman ruins, the next you’re peering up …

anoramic view of Liverpool’s waterfront showing the Royal Liver Building and the other “Three Graces” beside the River Mersey, with the Museum of Liverpool and modern dockside buildings under a blue evening sky.

City Breaks Coastal City Breaks

Liverpool, The Beatles and beyond

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 9, 2026

Some cities welcome you the way a polite aunt does. A tidy high street, a respectable museum, a park with ducks that look faintly disappointed …