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C20 Society

@c20society.bsky.social
5.4K followers 933 following 612 posts

The national charity campaigning to protect Britain’s modern architectural and design heritage. Reuse Them or Lose Them! www.c20society.org.uk

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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 1h
Join C20 for Hot off the Press: a study day on the role of architecture magazines – such as Architectural Design, L’Architecture d’aujourd’hui and Casabella – in disseminating ideas and knowledge. 🗓️Sat 7 Nov 2026, 9am-6pm 📍 AB Gallery, Farringdon 🎟️ Tickets: secure.c20society.org.uk/Default.aspx...
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Samira Ahmed @samiraahmeduk.bsky.social · 18h
Encounter at @slapstickfest.bsky.social: Victorian v @c20society.bsky.social presidents face off..
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Lukas Novotny @lukasnovo.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Original interiors of Barbican flats look a little different that you would expect.. Thank you London Archives for displaying the sales brochure!
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Lukas Novotny @lukasnovo.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Cover star of Chemical Brothers album – Harlow's Grade II* Lady of Fatima, (1960) by Gerard Goalen. Unassuming from the outside, but 💥inside. Visited with @c20society.bsky.social
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Liverpool University Press @livunipress.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
New Towns Mark One by the late Elain Harwood, ed. @alistairfair.bsky.social provides the first detailed architectural survey of the ‘mark one’ new towns. ➡️ Read the interview with Alistair about the book on the LUP blog: bit.ly/HE-NewTowns @c20society.bsky.social @geraintfranklin.bsky.social
A blue background of a blue and white tiled building fascia with a clock on a blue sky background. The text on the image reads 'Charting the architectural history of Britain's initial post-war new towns: the so-called 'mark one' new towns.
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Samira Ahmed @samiraahmeduk.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The joy of Brutalism. A @c20society.bsky.social celebration! A lot of love in the (Purcell) Room this afternoon.
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Dezeen @dezeen.com · 10/09/2026
Richard and Su Roger's seminal house in London "gifted to the nation": www.dezeen.com/2026/09/09/22-parksi…
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Wallpaper* @wallpapermag.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The modernist Rogers House, or 22 Parkside, in Wimbledon, has been given to the nation by the Rogers family www.wallpaper.com/architecture...
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Architects' Journal @news.architectsjournal.co.uk · 09/09/2026
Richard Rogers’ pioneering Modernist home, 22 Parkside in Wimbledon, is to open to the public after being gifted to the nation by the late architect’s family
architectsjournal.co.uk
Richard Rogers’ 22 Parkside home ‘given to the nation’ by family
Richard Rogers’ 22 Parkside home ‘given to the nation’ by family
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
NEWS: The Society is thrilled that 22 Parkside in Wimbledon, the pioneering Grade II* listed modernist home by Richard and Su Rogers, has been gifted to the nation and taken into the care of the @nationaltrust.org.uk ➡️Read more: c20society.org.uk/news/richard...
22 Parkside, Wimbledon, London - Richard and Su Rogers, 1968-70 (Grade II*)
Image (c) National Trust Images - Megan Taylor22 Parkside, Wimbledon, London - Richard and Su Rogers, 1968-70 (Grade II*)
Image (c) National Trust Images - Megan Taylor22 Parkside, Wimbledon, London - Richard and Su Rogers, 1968-70 (Grade II*)
Image (c) National Trust Images - Megan Taylor
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
BREAKING NEWS: We're delighted to announce that 1 Embankment Place (1986-91) in the City of Westminster, Sir Terry Farrell's Post-Modern 'Palace on the River', has been Grade II listed by DCMS following support from C20 Society. ➡️ Read more: c20society.org.uk/news/farrell...
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
EVENT: Join C20 and Adam Nathaniel Furman for the launch of the new book 'Chromatic Architecture' and a special lecture exploring why are architects afraid of colour? 📅 Tuesday 3 November 2026 at 6:30pm – 8pm 📍BDP Clerkenwell, EC1V 4LJ 🎟️ Book tickets: secure.c20society.org.uk/Default.aspx...
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Samira Ahmed @samiraahmeduk.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Brutal alert: Our Sun Sep 27th 4pm @c20society.bsky.social Brutalism event - where else but at the Southbank Centre's Purcell Room - newly listed! only has a few tickets left! www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/bru...
southbankcentre.co.uk
Brutal(ism) Love and Hate | Southbank Centre
The UK's largest arts centre & the heart of London's cultural life.
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
EVENT: Join us for C20 Open Mic - Volume 4 🗓️ Thu 15 Oct 2026, 6:30-7:45pm 📍 BDP Clerkenwell, EC1V 4LJ 🎟️ Book tickets: secure.c20society.org.uk/Default.aspx... Its the autumn instalment of out short talks from early-career researchers and practitioners. All tickets just £5, including 🍷
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Samira Ahmed @samiraahmeduk.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Cooling towers! Rightly celebrated by Artist Prunella Clough in Pallant House’s excellent exhibition on British landscapes. @c20society.bsky.social
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Housing for all. Art for all. Sixteen storey mosaic murals by Poole Tiles on Seaward Tower and Harbour Tower, Gosport - Kenneth Barden & J E Tyrrell, 1963 📷 James O Davies, Historic England
Mosaic murals on Seaward Tower and Harbour Tower, Gosport - Kenneth Barden & J E Tyrrell, 1963

Image credit: James O Davies, Historic EnglandMosaic murals on Seaward Tower and Harbour Tower, Gosport - Kenneth Barden & J E Tyrrell, 1963

Image credit: James O Davies, Historic EnglandMosaic murals on Seaward Tower and Harbour Tower, Gosport - Kenneth Barden & J E Tyrrell, 1963

Image credit: James O Davies, Historic England
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
NEWS: A sad update from our Risk List 2025. The former National Wildflower Centre in Court Hey Park, Merseyside (Hodder + Partners, 2000) has now been demolished. In its place…an area of tarmac. What an utter waste. This idiosyncratic 520ft long building should have been imaginatively repurposed.
National Wildflower Centre, Knowsley, Merseyside - Hodder + Partners (2000)
Image © Martine Hamilton KnightNational Wildflower Centre, Knowsley, Merseyside - Hodder + Partners (2000)
Image © Stephanie JohnsonNational Wildflower Centre, Knowsley, Merseyside - Hodder + Partners (2000)
Image © Martine Hamilton KnightNational Wildflower Centre, Knowsley, Merseyside - Hodder + Partners (2000)
Image © Knowsley Council
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Mike @mikeyashworth.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The leaflet for the opening of one of the UK's greatest Brutalist buildings, Preston Bus Station, on 12 October 1969. The subject of a long campaign to save & restore, the bus station was finally Listed in 2013 & subsequently restored. #architecture @c20society.bsky.social ↘️ flic.kr/p/2swZJGZ
Passengers Guide to Preston Bus Station : Sunday 12 October 1969 : Preston Corporation Transport Department : Ribble Motor Services Limited : J. Fishwick & Sons : Preston : 1969 :

The Brutalist bus station in Preston, Lancashire, is now regarded as one of the great exemplars of its type. Constructed ostensibly as part of the putative Central Lancashire New Town the building was Keith Ingham and Charles Wilson of Building Design Partnership along with E. H. Stazicker and engineers Ove Arup.

As can be seen from the leaflet the station served the municipal operator Preston Corporation, the local bus and coach giant Ribble and the independent operator Fishwick's.

In the early 2000s there were various proposals to demolish the structure as part of a redevelopment scheme and various attempts were made by local and national amenity groups to List the station; due to the borough council's support for demolition and rejection of Listing these attempts stalled. However in 2013 the bus station was Listed by English Heritage and a comprehensive restoration programme was undertaken being completed in 2019.

The leaflet shows a sketch of the distinctive building with the four great gull wing car park sections, and a bus at the ground floor bus stands. The leaflet has a blue background relating to Preston Corporation's bus livery.
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
EVENT: Join C20 and friends for a very special date at the Siuthban Centre - Brutal(ism) Love and Hate, ft. @samiraahmeduk.bsky.social, @grindrod.bsky.social, Mr Chuck, Lionheart and more. 📆 Sun 27 Sep, 4pm 📍Purcell Room, Southbank Centre 🎫 Tickets: www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/bru...
Image credit: Andrew EberlinImage credit: Andrew Eberlin
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Lukas Novotny @lukasnovo.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Outrageously neat typography seen on @c20society.bsky.social Blackheath walk with architect Ana Sutherland.
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
NEWS: We’re delighted to announce that following our recent 2026 AGM, Sandy Rattray has been elected as the new Chair of the Twentieth Century Society. ➡️ Read more: c20society.org.uk/news/sandy-r...
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Samira Ahmed @samiraahmeduk.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Fascinating @c20society.bsky.social talk Sep 2 upcoming about GLC poster design from the 80s. In person or online: And on the right is one I kept as a teenager and still have framed at home. secure.c20society.org.uk/Default.aspx...
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Jacob Gifford Head @giffordhead.co.uk · 18/08/2026
I have enjoyed reading this by @c20society.bsky.social. Though I was struck that whilst it lists almost every type of civil amenity: Parliaments, libraries, schools, universities, galleries & theatres; there isn't a single Court, police station or prison. I think that says a lot about priorities.
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Good News Friday: The historic Electric Cinema (1909) on Station Street in Birmingham has been officially added to the city’s Local Heritage List. The UK’s oldest working cinema before abruptly closing in Feb 2024, campaigners have opposed plans to demolish it for a 50 storey residential tower.
The Electric Cinema, Station Street, Birmingham - Bertie Crewe (1909), remodelled by Cecil E.M.Filmore (1937)
Image credit: Roger Wasley, Flickr The Electric Cinema, Station Street, Birmingham - Bertie Crewe (1909), remodelled by Cecil E.M.Filmore (1937)
Image credit: Birmingham LiveProposal for a restored and renewed Electric Cinema, by Flatpack Festival and Tim Ronalds Architects
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Lukas Novotny @lukasnovo.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
In the 1980s the Greater London Council embarked upon a radical experiment in how to run the city, making use of poster campaigns and public art to take aim against racism, sexism and nuclear war. Hazel Atashroo & @rosamundlilywest.bsky.social discuss at @c20society.bsky.social
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
☎️ To celebrate 40 years since the very first telephone box in Britain was listed, C20 has revived its famous campaign and submitted listing applications for four more quirky and historic kiosks: in Scotland's Western Isles, the Peak District, and the Cotswolds. ➡️ c20society.org.uk/news/quirky-...
Cherlmorton Telephone Kiosk, Derbyshire – R. Moseley and L.J.Rowse, 1934
Image credit: Deborah VernonK6 ‘Hebridean Storm Door’ Kiosk – Crulivig, Isle of Lewis (c1935-53)
Image credit: John MaherKiosk and former Blacksmiths Shop, Guiting Power, Gloucestershire – c18, remodelled between 1958 and 1962 by Thomas Williams & Sons,
Image credit: travelib prime
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Country Life Magazine @countrylifemag.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
'They will never be for the purists': The relentless, referential and upbeat joy of postmodern buildings www.countrylife.co.uk/architecture...
countrylife.co.uk
'They will never be for the purists': The relentless, referential and upbeat joy of postmodern buildings
As many of postmodern architectures finest buildings enter their fourth decade, Jack Watkins makes the case for why this often overlooked architectural style warrants further study.
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
NEWS: Yes, Prime Minister? The RC Church of St Oswald & St Edmund Arrowsmith (J Sydney Brocklesby, 1925-30) in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, has been upgraded from Grade II to Grade II* by DCMS. The French Romanesque church contains an unrivalled collection of stained glass by artist Harry Clarke.
Roman Catholic Church of St Oswald & St Edmund Arrowsmith, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan - J Sydney Brocklesby, 1925-30.

Image credit: Historic England.Roman Catholic Church of St Oswald & St Edmund Arrowsmith, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan - J Sydney Brocklesby, 1925-30.

Image credit: Historic England.Roman Catholic Church of St Oswald & St Edmund Arrowsmith, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan - J Sydney Brocklesby, 1925-30.

Image credit: Historic England.
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
🗓️ For August’s Building of the Month, Irma Naira explores the monumental Villa Ottolenghi (1974-78) near Lake Garda - one of the final projects by Italian architect Carlo Scarpa. ➡️ Read more: c20society.org.uk/building-of-...
Villa Ottolenghi, Lake Garda, Verona, Italy – Carlo Scarpa, 1974-78
Image © Åke E:son LindmanVilla Ottolenghi, Lake Garda, Verona, Italy – Carlo Scarpa, 1974-78
Image © Åke E:son LindmanVilla Ottolenghi, Lake Garda, Verona, Italy – Carlo Scarpa, 1974-78
Image © Åke E:son Lindman
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
☎️ #OTD 6 Aug 1986 a K3 telephone kiosk (1929), located outside the Parrott House at London Zoo, became the very first listed telephone box in Britain. It followed a landmark campaign by the Thirties Society (forerunner to C20), launched the previous year in response to BT’s modernisation programme.
K3 Telephone Box, London Zoo - Giles Gilbert Scott, 1929
Image credit: Martin Pettitt, FlickrThe Thirties Society 'Take it as Red' report on telephone boxes, 1985
Design: Robin Ollington
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
NEWS: C20 Society has backed new plans to convert the Brutalist former Church of the Good Shepherd (1966-67) in Batheaston, Somerset, into a day nursery and offices, saving it from a previously consented demolition following a community campaign. ➡️ c20society.org.uk/news/nursery...
RC Church of the Good Shepherd, Batheaston, Somerset - Martin Fisher, 1966-67
Image © Andrew EberlinNursery proposal for the former Church of the Good Shepherd, Batheaston, Somerset
Image © Wraxall BuildersRC Church of the Good Shepherd, Batheaston, Somerset - Martin Fisher, 1966-67
Image © Andrew Eberlin
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Lukas Novotny @lukasnovo.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Lost architecture featured in Vanishing Japan (2026, Thames & Hudson) by Naomi Pollock. Book launch on Thursday with @c20society.bsky.social, few in-person & online tickets still available!
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
EVENT: Join C20 and tour guide Andrew Jackson for a late summer weekend trip to 20th Century Liverpool. From the Cathedrals to the Philharmonic, the University to the Queensway Tunnel, we're in our Mersey Paradise! 🗓️ Fri 18 - Sun 20 Sep 2026 🎟️ Tickets: secure.c20society.org.uk/Default.aspx...
Image: Queensway (Mersey) Tunnel toll booth - Herbert Rowse, 1934
Credit: R~P~M, Creative Commons
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Lukas Novotny @lukasnovo.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Alec Forshaw, Islington conservation officer for 30 yrs, lead a fantastic walk around Angel for @c20society.bsky.social
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
💥 Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s our Save Cooling Towers banner over West Burton Power Station in Megawatt Valley! Well, with C20 Society’s recent AGM taking place in Nottinghamshire, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a ‘flying visit’… ➡️ Read more: c20society.org.uk/news/west-bu...
Image credit: Gareth GardnerImage credit: Gareth GardnerImage credit: Gareth Gardner
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Hazel A @hazela.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Join us for a talk about the radical London Local Government in 1980s London!
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
👀 Tomorrow, 0830 UTC GB-0443, G-BUNC
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Extremely concerning news that Jodrell Bank in Cheshire is facing closure, after UKRI announced the end of their funding from 2028. Though the Lovell Telescope is Grade I listed, the best strategy for preserving this internationally significant site is surely to keep the observatory in active use.
Image credit: UNESCO in the UK
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
EVENT: Join C20 and Historic England for a special two-day event, celebrating the 80th anniversary of the 1946 New Towns Act and the launch of the late Elain Harwood’s final major publication, 'New Towns Mark One'. 🗓️ Thu 10-11 Sept 2026 📍 London + Harlow 🎟️ secure.c20society.org.uk/Default.aspx...
Image: Market Clock, Adams House, Harlow © Historic England
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
NEWS: We’re delighted that the £130 million plans to transform the Grade II* listed Crystal Palace National Sports Centre (1960-64) have been unanimously approved by Bromley Council, following support from C20, Historic England, Sport England and many others. ➡️ c20society.org.uk/news/green-l...
Image credit: Howard KingsnorthImage credit: FaulknerBrownsImage credit: FaulknerBrowns
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Samira Ahmed @samiraahmeduk.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Was lucky enough to work in TV Centre 📺 from 1991 off and on till 2012.. loved talking about it to Open City with my @c20society.bsky.social President head on. Features me reading from Colin MacInnes’s Absolute Beginners podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/o...
podcasts.apple.com
Deconstructed: The BBC Television Centre - Broadcasting to a Nation
Podcast Episode · Open City · 16 July · 30min
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
🇫🇷 Today, a lucky group of C20 Patrons will visit the iconic Maison de Verre in Paris (1928-32), with places selected via a ballot earlier in the year. Why not consider becoming an Individual or Professional Patron, for your chance to join other exclusive tours? ➡️ c20society.org.uk/support/patr...
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
EVENT: Join C20 and author Hazel Atashroo as she introduces her new book ‘London’s Ours! Images From The Greater London Council 1981–1986’, in conversation with Rosamund Lily West. 🗓️ Wed 2 Sep 2026, 6.30pm 📍 Cowcross St Gallery, London + Online 🎟️ tickets: secure.c20society.org.uk/Default.aspx...
London's Ours! cover - Hazel Atashroo and Fourt Corners Books (2026)
Stop Children poster - Peter Kennard (1983)
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
NEWS: After being feared lost then recently rediscovered, the 1960s Skyline tile mural by artist Alan Boyson has now been restored and relocated from Hull's old Co-op building to a nearby NHS centre. ✍ @estherjohnson.bsky.social tells the full story: c20society.org.uk/2026/07/15/t...
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Jacob Gifford Head @giffordhead.co.uk · 16/07/2026
I really like this. The one thing that Post-Modernism had going for it which is missing from so much other architecture is that it is fun. It’s also nice to see another late 20th Century leisure centre preserved. These are the Victorian Turkish Baths of the future.
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
NEWS: Doncaster Dome (FaulknerBrowns, 1987-89) has reopened to the public following a 2 year, £15 million project to refurbish the pools, flumes, changing area, mechanical heating and water filter system. The Postmodern leisure centre was Grade II listed in 2023 after an application by C20 Society.
Image credit: Historic EnglandImage credit: Julie Phipps / FaulknerBrownsImage credit: Historic England
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
EVENT: Join C20 and author Naomi Pollock for Vanishing Japan - Modern Architecture, Gone But Not Forgotten. 🗓️ Thu 6 Aug 2026, 6.30pm 📍 The Gallery, 70 Cowcross St, London + Online 🎟️ Book tickets In-person: secure.c20society.org.uk/Default.aspx... Online: secure.c20society.org.uk/Default.aspx...
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
The people spoke, their local council ignored them. Shameful. In Dec 2025 a remarkable 9-day occupation of the humble 1950s Sheringham Bus Shelter thwarted an attempted demolition by Norfolk County Council. This week, their beloved streamline moderne shelter was unceremoniously flattened.
Image credit: Art UKImage credit: Gareth Gabriel
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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
NEWS: A K6 MkII telephone box near the historic Pillar of Elliseg in Llangollen, Denbighshire, has been Grade II listed by Cadw after support from @c20cymru.bsky.social First shown on a 1963 OS map, the Tudor crown on the Llangollen kiosk suggests it was installed at some point between 1949-53.
Image credit: Trail Walker (Pictures of Llangollen, Facebook group)
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Lukas Novotny @lukasnovo.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Just wrapped up @c20society.bsky.social AGM in Nottingham. They have lots of amazing buildings!
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