This retired train from 1960s London may not be travelling anymore, but it’s still serving London commuters every day! Inside the disused carriage is one of London’s most unique eateries, The Deptford Project cafe. Currently sitting in the old railway yard of Deptford Station, The Depford Project aims to bring some life and activity back into the formerly abandoned space.

(Image: Ewan Munro (website: Pubology), cc-nc-nd-3.0)

Fully decked out in bespoke decorations and brightly-painted furniture, The Deptford Project cafe has served many visitors who have flocked to the area for music and film events throughout the past year. The interior artwork features images inspired by local history, including pictures reflecting Deptford’s ship building industry and livestock transportation. Food is locally sourced, and the cafe has been a big hit among locals and visitors.

(Image: Mike Quinn, cc-sa-3.0)

The use of space in the old carriage has maximized customer seating and offers plenty of natural light. A garden shed outside the carriage houses modern toilet facilities (as well as a lot of Elvis memorabilia!).

(Images: Ewan Munro (Pubology), cc-nc-nd-3.0; kenjonbro, cc-nc-3.0)

While creative uses of abandoned space are popping up the world over, it’s nice to see an abandoned train brought back to life for the modern age.

Visit www.thedeptfordproject.com for more info.

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Many cities use colour to great effect in their architecture, but not many go to such an extent as these! Using all the colours of the rainbow, these seven cities from around the world are a bright and welcoming sight for travellers and residents alike.

Marrakesh, Morocco

(Images: Martin Varsavsky, cc-3.0; Solea20, cc-nc-sa-3.0; Michal Osmenda, cc-sa-3.0)

Known as the Ochre, Red or Rose City, Marrakesh is home to many beautiful pieces of architecture, with its walls, alleys and palaces all painted in stunning rustic colours. Based at the bottom of the spectacular Atlas Mountains, Marrakesh’s exotic sights, sounds, and smells have enchanted tourists for decades, with millions flocking to visit every year.

Amer, India

(Images: Saad.Achtar, cc-nc-nd-3.0 & cc-sa-3.0)

Also known as “amber” for its bright, golden buildings, Amer was a city of its own right in ancient Rajasthan before becoming part of the Jaipur Municipal Corporation. The structure which now stands as the Amber Fort was originally a palace built by the great conqueror Raja Man Singh I. Inside, the beautifully painted buildings glow with light: a spectacular sight from every angle.

Izamal, Mexico

(Image: Brian Snelson, cc-3.0)

Nicknamed “The Yellow City”, visitors won’t be able to help noticing the expanse of colour on almost every building! Izamal is located right in the middle of the Yucatan peninsula and is home to an array of beautiful buildings. Almost all of the structures were painted an egg-yolk yellow after Pope Jean Paul II visited the city in 1993, and the impact of this amazing city is undeniable as a result.

Seattle, USA

(Images: leezbtv, cc-3.0; Wonderlane, cc-3.0)

Surrounded by lush, green forests, it’s no surprise how Seattle came to be known as The Emerald City. As well as its acres of parkland and green spaces, Seattle is currently among the leading cities when it comes to action against climate change in the US. By conserving their urban forestry, providing education to schools and workplaces, and committing to sustainable redevelopment, they’ve established themselves as a truly green city in more ways than one.

Jodhpur, India

(Images: The Dilly Lama, cc-3.0; C+H, cc-sa-3.0)

The second largest city in Rajasthan, Jodhpur is known as the “Blue City” for its array of spectacular blue painted houses which sit around the Mehrangarh Fort. According to ancient regulations, blue was the colour which signified the Bhraman or Priest Class, however non-Brahmins soon followed suit with their own properties. Now, the landscape of Jodhpur is resplendent in indigo: a spectacular sight from the top of the nearby hills.

Jaipur, India

(Images: xiquinhosilva, cc-sa-3.0; Russ Bowling, cc-3.0)

Known as “The Pink City”, the beautiful ancient city of Jaipur is a very famous site for tourists with a whole host of forts and monuments to visit. Rose pink houses with lattice windows line the streets, providing an almost enchanting view, which is especially magical at sunset. Surrounded on all sides by rugged hills and ancient embattled walls, Jaipur’s stunning architecture fully reflects its glorious history.

White City, Tel Aviv, Israel

(Images: Or Hiltch, cc-3.0; Paul-Simpson.org (Flickr, cc-3.0); Avishai Teicher, cc-3.0)

Not technically a city in its own right, Tel Aviv’s White City refers to a collection of Bauhaus buildings designed by German Jewish settlers who immigrated to the city after the rise of the Nazis. The amazing art deco buildings, have now been named a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO. Designed in stunning white to reflect the heat, the buildings represent the largest collection of art deco architecture in the world.

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Rosey Prince’s fascination with the idea of landmarks is shown in her striking pictures of urban scenes. The shadowy petrol stations and looming tower blocks may not be universally significant, but they still hold their own truth as landmarks we know and recognise every day.

(Image: Rosey Prince, reproduced with permission)

“Landmarks, by their nature, are deeply subjective,” says Prince. “These [scenes] are not the state of the art buildings or tourist attractions of city centres but rather the anonymous and yet familiar constructions we find in conurbations everywhere.”

(Image: Rosey Prince, reproduced with permission)

In urban areas where there is an absence of traditional landmarks, such as churches or castles, Prince’s own ‘landmarks’ mark the edge of our vision in our day to day lives. They’re how we find our bearings and recognise our terrain.

(Image: Rosey Prince, reproduced with permission)

“People often recognise the tower blocks and petrol stations [in my work] and ask me where they are, as if they are hoping it’s the petrol station they use or know,” says Prince. “I think it’s interesting that this suggests people are forming an emotional attachment to a petrol station… We have a need to ‘own’ our environment, to make it ours.”

Visit www.roseyprince.com for further information.

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One of the more weird and wonderful attractions along historic Route 66 near Barstow, California is Elmer Long’s Bottle Tree Ranch.  Made from hundreds of empty bottles mounted on recycled scrap metal poles, the quirky masterpiece was born around 2000 when artist Elmer inherited a wealth of discarded treasures that his late father had found over the years while wandering the desert.

(Image: American Backroom, cc-nc-3.0 - see official website)

Unsure what the do with the hoard, Elmer decided to re-purpose the colourful glassware into his first bottle tree.  Before he knew it, the Bottle Tree Ranch was born and a decade later, the offbeat attraction was an exhibition of colourful recycled glass that draws motorists travelling the historic route through Mojave County.

(Image: American Backroom, cc-nc-3.0; Tobin, cc-sa-3.0)

Elmer welcomes visitors and enjoys striking up conversations with those that pull over.   According to Oddity Central: [Elmer] always complains about how people now prefer the interstates, even though they are completely soulless, compared to the old routes.  He longs for the old days when people also travelled to discover the towns and wonders along the roads.”  Urban Ghosts concurs.

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If you thought Florida’s dilapidated Dome Home was an odd residence, check out this abandoned flying saucer-themed house in Royse City, Texas. The bizarre building is a Futuro House, a retro-futuristic architectural design by Matti Suuronen dating to the late 1960s. Despite its obvious cult following, only around 100 were manufactured, with about 50 believed to remain in existence across the globe.

(Image: Strange, Weird, Wonderful & Cool Buildings)

Dallas-based British expat SGR, also known as “grumpyoldlimey”, has devoted a section of his blog Strange, Weird, Wonderful & Cool Buildings to charting the locations of surviving Futuro Houses. His Futuro House Project is a must-read resource for anyone interested in this form of architecture. For more “UFO houses”, be sure to check out the now demolished Sanzhi Pod City in Taiwan.

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This somewhat retro-futuristic theatre in the coastal desert city of Namibe, southwestern Angola, is one of many buildings abandoned in the wake of Portuguese colonial decline in the region after 1974. The concrete dome remains intact but the interior is little more than a waste-ground of rubble and trash. This form of modernist architecture has as many enemies as friends nowadays, but the solid structure seems to be crying out for some form of adaptive reuse.

(Image: Alfred Weidinger, cc-3.0)

Namibe, previously known as Moçâmedes, was founded by the Portuguese in 1840 and is one of Angola’s main ports. Following the April 1974 “Carnation Revolution” in Lisbon, many Moçâmedes-based fishing boats set sail for Portugal with entire families onboard, and Angola finally achieved independence in 1975. Explore more incredible abandoned theatres and movie palaces here.

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One of the many idiosyncrasies within Copenhagen’s controversial commune of Freetown Christiania, the “Glass House” has been described as a construction exemplifying modern “architecture without architects”.  The 85 acres of Denmark’s capital known as Christiania grew out of a former military barracks that was abandoned in 1971.  The site is home to around 850 people and in addition to pre-existing military buildings, makeshift homes such as the Glass House have added to the area’s unique character over the decades.

(Image: (Image: seier+seier, cc-2.0)

A successful social experiment or lawless drug den, depending on who you speak to, Freetown Christiania was born of a spirit of collectivism and anarchy which rejects private ownership.  Governed by the Christiania Law of 1989, the commune is a popular tourist destination and, despite riots and ongoing “normalisation measures“, enjoys relative freedom from the state.  It even has its own page on Copenhagen.com.

Millions of poor homes could soon be brightened by sustainable, safe and inexpensive light bulbs made from one-litre plastic bottles containing purified water, salt and bleach. The MyShelter Foundation hopes to distribute the “solar bottle bulb“, developed by MIT students, to one million homes throughout the Philippines by 2012.

(Image: Isang Litrong Liwanag, via YouTube)

The bottles are sealed within holes cut in the metal roofs of homes, with their lower halves emerging from the ceiling. The clear water disperses light around the room through refraction, salt slows evaporation, and bleach prevents mold growth, allowing each solar bottle bulb to last up to five years.

(Image: Isang Litrong Liwanag, via YouTube)

Even though the solar bottle bulb, equivalent to a 55-watt electric light bulb, only works during daylight hours, it provides a significant benefit to poor people in cities like Manila, whose homes are close together and barely allow in any light. MyShelter is promoting the bulbs (paid for by the city of Manila) through the Isang Litrong Liwanag (“A Liter of Light”) project, and training residents to make and install them.

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The village of Braddeck in the Nova Scotia province of Cape Breton Island has hosted a variety of churches since the first place of worship was established on Bay Road in 1841.  Over the years, some churches have been abandoned due to dwindling  congregations, while one conversion, which latterly held the Braddeck Public Library, burned to the ground.  In this photo, the Anglican church of St. Peter & St. John, established 1883, appears to be leaning somewhat towards the camera.  Is this an optical illusion, or did the builders fail to use their spirit levels?  

If you liked this, be sure to check out these creatively converted churches and the incredible semi-submerged church of Curon Venosta.

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The story behind the Dome Home at Cape Romano, Florida, is (almost) as strange as the abandoned building itself.  A long term victim of decay, the house was originally built in 1981 and sold to John Tosto in 2005.  Since then it’s been at the centre of a longstanding redevelopment dispute, which reportedly could have saddled Tosto with fines of over $185,000 on the property.

(Image: Obsession911, cc-sa-3.0)

The outcome of the dispute over the bizarre Dome Home, or Dome House, is unclear, but the abandoned building seems to have become a popular tourist attraction on account of its retro-futuristic appearance – and the fact that it’s so downright out-of-place on this remote strip of land just south of Marco Island.

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With a population of around 770, the Isle of Tiree in the Scottish Inner Hebrides has remained remarkably true to its roots despite its proximity to mainland UK. As of 2001, over 48 per cent of inhabitants spoke Gaelic, while the island is known for its vernacular architecure – adopting readily available resources to address local construction needs, reflecting the environmental, cultural and historical aspects of its surroundings.

(Image: Sue Jackson, cc-sa-3.0)

Long connected with agriculture, Tiree takes its name from the Gaelic Tir lodh, meaning “land of corn”, from the days of sixth century Celtic missionary St Columba. The island provided grain to the monastic community on the nearby island of Iona, with fertile ground that continues to support traditional crofting.

(Image: Wojsyl, cc-sa-3.0)

The most westerly island of the Inner Hebrides, Tiree’s economy is boosted by tourism and is known as a popular windsurfing venue. Regularly hosting the Tiree Wave Classic, the island also played host to the Corona Extra PWA World Cup Finals of 2007. But it’s the traditional – and unique – architecture that Tiree remains famous for, from blackhouses and white houses to spotted houses and pudding houses.

(Image: Gordon Brown, cc-sa-3.0)

These simple structures, built from local stone and thatch, take their names from their external appearance. White houses are white washed, blackhouses are bare stone, while spotted houses are structures where only the mortar is painted white, giving them a mottled appearance. While the former two are common designs throughout the remote corners of Scotland, spotted houses (pudding houses) remain unique to Tiree.

(Image: Pablo Abrante, cc-nc-sa-3.0)

Tiree Airport owes its relatively large size to its origins as a Second World War heavy bomber base, with one of the original three runways still in use. Other modern ruins across the island include an abandoned RAF Chain Home radar station, while a rotting shipwreck haunts a local beach.  Check out more of Scotland’s mysterious islands and abandoned villages.

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At its height the British Empire was the largest in history and remained the foremost global power for over a century.  So in 1924, the grand British Empire Exhibition was launched “to stimulate trade, strengthen bonds that bind mother Country to her Sister States and Daughters, to bring into closer contact the one with each other, to enable all who owe allegiance to the British flag to meet on common ground and learn to know each other”.

(Image: oxyman, cc-sa-3.0)

To achieve this, three main structures were built – the Palaces of Industry, Engineering and Arts.  No expense was spared and at a cost of £12 million, the largest exhibition ever staged anywhere in the world at that time attracted an astounding 27 million visitors.  Of those three grand structures, the Palace of Industry is all that remains.  It is reportedly used as a warehouse, and bears a resemblance to the beautiful abandoned theatres and cinemas that we’ve explored previously on this site.

(Image: Pmsphoto, cc-3.0)

Wembley is widely acknowledged as the capital of football, and another structure built for the exhibition – The Empire Stadium – was adapted to become Wembley Stadium due to high demolition costs.  The famous venue survived until 2003 when it was demolished to make way for a modern 90,000 seat stadium.  A slightly later structure, The Empire Pool, still stands today, and was converted into the Wembley Arena after the Empire Games of 1934.  Today it remains one of London’s foremost concert venues.

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Those familiar with the project will know that this incredible piece of urban art in Houston, Texas, was less demolished than deconstructed during its final days.  Latterly known as the Tunnel House, the condemned structure’s transformation was the work of artists Dan Havel and Dean Ruck, and marked a refreshing change from the vandalism that often befalls many abandoned buildings and places.

(Image: Kevin O’Mara, cc-nc-nd-3.0)

But how did this project come about in the first place, and what happened to the Tunnel House’s forgotten foundations following demolition?  As it happens, the property on Montrose Blvd. belonged to the Art League of Houston, which embarked on the most ambitious project in its then-59 year history to construct a contemporary, landmark building on the site of the Tunnel House and another former classroom bungalow.

(Image: Kevin O’Mara, cc-nc-nd-3.0)

Before demolition, the Tunnel House garnered widespread interest and acclaim across the art community, mainstream press and blogosphere, covered by the likes of Dornob, DesignVerb, Smosh and Geekologie.  Below, Google Street View reveals the Houston Art League’s new building on the corner once occupied by arguably one of America’s most creatively abandoned buildings come recycled art.

(Image: Google Street View)

Browse more weird and wonderful examples of recycled and urban art in this category.  If you enjoyed this article, why not subscribe to our feed, friend us on Facebook or join us on Twitter?  

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I jumped onto Google Street View last night after learning of an overgrown graveyard that once belonged to the Zion Congregational Church in Sheffield.  The church was demolished some time ago, but the graveyard is reportedly still extant.  Unfortunately Street View couldn’t transport me along the whole of Zion Lane, but it nevertheless turned up the austere Sunday school (below, seen on Picture Sheffield), which now serves as a motor mechanic’s workshop (above).

(Image: Picture Sheffield)

Peeling white paint covers the significantly altered facade, and were it not for the carved inscription denoting “Zion Sabbath School“, this slice of Sheffield history may have gone unnoticed.  As such, it’s an interesting find in the backstreets of Attercliffe, an area where overgrown streets and small industrial units stand in place of the former Victorian slums.  The austere church in Zion Lane can be seen here.  We’ll continue our search for its remnants.

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Seasteading – the concept of creating autonomous communities at sea – offers a sustainable solution to dealing with abandoned oil rigs and other redundant offshore platforms.  In theory, seasteads would be established beyond the territories claimed by national governments, and some would even be mobile.  As eccentric as it sounds, there’s a substantial movement to make this form of oceanic dwelling a reality by 2014.

(Image: Richard Lazenby, public domain)

The term can be traced to the works of two people – Ken Neumeyer and Wayne Gramlich – and proposals range from refitted cruise ships and adapted oil rigs to decommissioned anti-aircraft platforms and custom-built floating islands.  To date, no autonomous states exist on the high seas that are recognised as sovereign nations, although the Principality of Sealand (above) – a disputed micronation located on an abandoned sea fort near the UK coast – might disagree.

(Image: via JackDayton, cc-3.0)

Various other seasteading proposals have been put forward, including spar platforms and modular islands.  In 2009, the Seasteading Institute patented a design for a 200-person resort called ClubStead, equivalent in size to a city block.  With a focus on community, the Institute hopes to launch the first seastead in San Francisco Bay in 2014.  Despite the legal issues, the concept at least presents an sustainable means of dealing with abandoned sea platforms in a community driven environment.

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Among the ruins of abandoned buildings in the ghost town of Rhyolite, this “bottle house” is an unusual reminder of the 50 saloons that once serviced the old mining settlement. Made up of 50,000 discarded beer and liquor bottles bleached by the searing heat of Nevada’s Death valley, the curious property was completed in 1906, taking less than six months to construct.

(Images: Ravenelle, cc-3.0: Bala, cc-3.0)

The bottle house was built by Rhyolite miner Tom T. Kelly and reportedly included a small number of patent medicine bottles among its construction materials. The property was one of three houses built using bottles and stands as a lasting example of recycling and environmental consideration in the old west.

(Image: Ken Lund, cc-sa-3.0)

Predictable water shortages in the region meant Kelly couldn’t even wash the bottles before incorporating them into the structure. Once complete, the miner plastered out the interior of the property and raffled it off to interested parties at $5.00 per ticket.

(Image: Greg Willis, cc-sa-3.0)

The bottle house was abandoned after Rhyolite became a deserted ghost town and fell into decay over the years. But a 1925 Paramount Studios production used the town as a location and the bottle house was duly spruced up. It was again restored in 2005, using period bottles to fill the gaps left by glassware that had disappeared over the years, and is now a popular Rhyolite landmark.

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The red telephone box, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is as quintessentially British as fish and chips, the Shipping Forecast, eccentric place names and – sadly – doomed pubs.  But after years of dedicated service, this icon of cities, towns and villages throughout Britain and her former colonies has largely become a thing of the past.

(Image: Garry Knight, cc-sa-3.0)

The popular red kiosk was the result of a 1924 competition initiated due to widespread dissatisfaction with the original K1 (Kiosk No. 1) design across London.  The winning design, in the classic tradition, was submitted by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, architect of Liverpool Cathedral and Battersea Power Station.

(Image: rofanator, cc-nc-nd-3.0)

Scott had intended his K2 kiosk, with domed roof likely inspired by Sir John Soane’s tomb in St Pancras’ Old Churchyard, to be painted silver.  But the Post Office selected red to ensure the boxes were noticeable.  This stirred a public outcry at the time, and boxes located in areas of natural and historic beauty were painted a more subdued grey with red glazing bars.

(Image: pauldriscoll, cc-nc-nd-3.0)

Ironically, it wasn’t strictly modernisation that led to the demise of the red telephone box, as the classical K2 model gave way to the definitive K6 in 1935, commemorating the silver jubilee of King George V.  The death blow was dealt by privatisation in the form of British Telecom, which, from the 1980s, installed the more utilitarian KX100 in place of thousands of traditional kiosks.

(Image: Jon Burney, cc-nc-sa-3.0)

Around 2000 red phone boxes have historical listed status, but many stand neglected, vandalised, or simply abandoned, with a lucky few re-purposed.  In an ironic twist, the public outcry that had accompanied the introduction of the red telephone box was matched by protests over its demise, as many who had originally opposed it campaigned for the preservation of their beloved kiosks.

(Image: Rick Harris, cc-sa-3.0)

Its appearance in various urban art exhibits reflects the kiosk’s cult status, while adaptive reuse and popularity with collectors underscores its enduring legacy as an eccentric symbol if Britishness.  But the all-too-common sight of decaying red phone boxes are perhaps the most poignant reminder that things have moved on, and that eras always come to an end.

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A decade ago the Western Metal Supply Co. building in San Diego was scheduled for demolition to make way for PETCO Park, the city’s state-of-the-art Major League Baseball stadium, which opened in 2004.  But an inspired commitment to adaptive reuse saw the historic building incorporated into the ballpark’s final design.

(Image: Phil Konstantin, public domain)

Modern balconies were added to the 100-year-old brick structure, which now contains a team store, restaurant, private suites and rooftop seating.  The southeast corner of the recycled building, marked by a strip of yellow iron, serves as the left field foul pole, and a ball striking the building’s facade is considered a home run.

(Image: LA Wad, cc-nc-sa-3.0)

In a bid to preserve the Western Metals Building‘s heritage, the historic facade boasts its original name painted just below the roofline, while the modern balconies add to the recycled building’s functionality.  The construction of PETCO Park (home of the San Diego Padres) was part of an effort to revitalise San Diego’s aging downtown district around the East Village, and it’s refreshing to see the creative conversion and integration of the area’s industrial past.

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When glancing at photographs of the strikingly colourful suburb of Bo-Kaap in Cape Town, South Africa, you could be forgiven for thinking the images had been doctored in some way.  But take a wander through the quaint cobblestone streets and you’ll discover the buildings are every bit as dazzling as they appear in the guide book.

(Images: neiljs, cc-3.0; Frames-of-Mind, cc-3.0)

Bo-Kaap was originally a township on the slopes of Signal Hill above central Cape Town, historically known as the Cape Malay Quarter.  Once segregated under Apartheid, inhabitants can trace their roots to Indonesia, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), India and Malaysia, many of them arriving in Cape Town during the 18th and 19th centuries as slaves of the Dutch East India Company.

(Image: Geof Wilson, cc-nd-3.0)

According to photographer Mervyn Hector, an estimated 63,000 slaves were imported into South Africa from places like Zanzibar, Madagascar, Angola and Mosambique.  The Cape Malays and their religious leaders played an important role in the cultural development that persists in Bo-Kaap today, infused into a multicultural atmosphere that reflects the identity of the Muslim settlers.

(Images: thomas-sly, cc-3.0; Tom Pratt, cc-3.0)

The Nurul Islam Mosque, established in 1844, and Bo-Kaap Museum reflect the lives and work of the early settlers, many of whom were skilled builders, carpenters, tailors and shoemakers.  Those attibutes, along with quaint cobblestone streets, unique architecture – a synthesis of Cape Dutch and Edwardian – and dazzlingly painted houses make Bo-Kaap one of Cape Town‘s most intriguing areas.

(Image: Paul Mannix, cc-3.0)

Perhaps not surprisingly – though ironic given the area’s history of enslavement – Bo-Kaap has become increasingly gentrified following the end of Apartheid, as wealthy outsiders have embraced its unique atmosphere and colourful architecture.  The close-knit community is said to be facing a slow dissolution, and conflict has arisen over the sale of buildings that have seen the eviction of longterm residents.

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Almost ten years ago the BBC produced a 7-part docudrama about the Seven Wonders of the Industrial World.  These extraordinary objects and structures were engineering marvels that changed the face of the modern world during the Industrial Revolution.  All but one remain in use to this day.  In this article we briefly explore these seven industrial wonders, and the engineers and workers behind them.

SS Great Eastern (Launched 1858)

(Image: Parsons, public domain)

A shipbuilding marvel, SS Great Eastern was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel as the first ship entirely built out of iron.  Despite its unparalleled luxury, the ship’s construction was marred accidents, financial scandal and misfortune.  Some said the Great Eastern was jinxed, giving rise to an urban legend that two corpses were found inside the hull during dismantling.  The story traces back to the ship’s construction, when a worker and his child apprentice mysteriously vanished.

Brooklyn Bridge, New York City (Completed 1883)

(Image: Postdlf, cc-sa-3.0)

Spanning New York City’s East River, the Brooklyn Bridge was both the first steel-wire suspension bridge and the longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened.  Designed by John Augustus Roebling, creating this iconic landmark was a family effort.  Roebling’s son, Washington, took over construction following his death.  Washington’s wife, Emily Roebling, in turn taught herself the principles of engineering when her husband’s health was ruined by decompression sickness while overseeing underwater construction.

Bell Rock Lighthouse (Completed 1810)

(Image: Ian Cowe, reproduced with permission)

Immortalised in a poem by Robert Southey, the notorious Bell Rock reef off the east coast of Scotland has wrecked ships and claimed the lives of sailors for hundreds of years.  As a result, engineer Robert Stevenson designed the lighthouse that continues in service to this day, maintained by the Northern Lighthouse Board.  In an incredible feat of engineering, the Bell Rock Lighthouse was designed to withstand the relentless northern sea, while at the same time housing the builders who worked on it.

London Sewerage System (Completed 1865)

(Image: Steve Cadman, cc-sa-3.0)

During the 1850s, London was the largest city in the world, located at the heart of the British Empire, but served by a medieval sewer system that permeated the air and caused horrific cholera and typhoid epidemics.  Civil engineer Joseph Bazalgette designed the ingenious London Sewerage System that would purify the city, with six interceptory sewers fed by 450 miles of main sewers and 13,000 miles of smaller local sewers.  It was also served by the remarkably ornate Crossness Pumping Station (above).

Panama Canal (Completed 1914)

(Image: Dozenist, cc-sa-3.0)

The 48 mile long Panama Canal is a ship canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.  Completed in 1914, an incredible 815,000 vessels had passed through as of 2008, but it hasn’t always been plain sailing.  Early contruction attempts by Ferdinand de Lesseps, French developer of the Suez Canal, collapsed – taking the French government with it – after 22,000 men died of tropical diseases.  Later U.S. efforts were ultimately successful, but the impracticality of constructing a sea-level canal meant the project was completed with locks.

Pacific Railroad, United States (Completed 1869)

(Image: SP8254 – Catching Up, cc-nc-nd-3.0)

Completed in 1869, the Pacific Railroad was the “First Transcontinental Railroad”, connecting the eastern and western seaboards of the United States.  Started by a group of enterprising Sacramento shopkeepers, Chinese labourers laid track through the forbidding Sierra Nevada mountains, while Irish immigrants of the Union Pacific approached from the east.  After six years of toil, the Pacific Railroad was complete, in a tale of corruption and success that overcame  the inherent lawlessness of the Wild West.

Hoover Dam (Completed 1936)

(Images: Hannah Beker, cc-sa-3.0)

Controvertially named after President Herbert Hoover, the immense Hoover Dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River was originally set to be named Boulder Dam.  Constructed between 1931 and 1936 at the height of the Great Depression, the concrete gravity-arch structure cost $49 million and countless loss of life.  More than 20,000 unemployed flocked to Nevada to work on the project, forced to accept conditions of extreme hardship.  Boulder City was ultimately constructed to house the workers, as Las Vegas was too small.

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