Stadhuis, City Hall, van Velsen, IJmuiden, Netherlands — Drone Architecture Photography

The Stadhuis (City Hall) in IJmuiden stands out among local architecture — its design contrasts sharply with surrounding Dutch styles. Taking these drone shots, I aimed to show that difference: form, angles, and how this building interacts with space around it under open skies.

Flying above, the images capture City Hall’s clean lines, flat roofing, and the mix of materials that make it visually distinct. Shadows fall sharply across facades; geometric shapes play with negative space. Where local architecture tends toward gabled roofs and traditional colour tones, this building’s style emphasises modernism and function. The aerial view lets you see its relationship to nearby streets, plots, and the way light hits its structure from different angles.

Buildings like this break from the expected, offering contrast in form and style. For more architectural and drone photography exploring such design variety, see my Places and Drone galleries.

Fairhaven United Reformed Church - The White Church

Good morning,

Here is a photo following on from my personal project of photographing Church’s.

Although officially Fairhaven United Reformed Church, this church is known locally as The White Church.

The story of the White Church begins at a meeting of the congregation of Lytham Congregational Church in 1899 with the suggestion that there should be a new church in Fairhaven on the estuary of the Ribble on land leased by the Clifton family of Lytham Hall.  A month after the proposal was made they received great encouragement for their vision.  The Congregational Union of England and Wales had commenced a fund to raise half a million guineas for church extension… ‘in view of the rapid increase in population’.

Now there was no stopping them and with scarcely a setback they began raising the money that would be required to build the new church, a church which they all agreed should be a distinctive architectural feature in the district (and it is!).

Four firms were chosen to submit designs. The successful architects were Briggs, Wolstenholme and Thornley of Blackburn who won with a design that imitated some of the features of Byzantine architecture (on the outside that is).  When the church was opened on October 17, 1912, eight years after the opening of the new church hall on May 4 1904, their vision was realised.

https://fairhavenurc.org.uk/

Thanks

Lee

St Annes Parish Church

Hello, I hope that you are well.

Today I would like to share some images taken of the Parish Church of St Annes.

The Above image was lit by attaching LumeCube lights to a drone and flown close by to illuminate different areas. Multiple exposures were taken and then blended in photoshop.

The church is from which the town took its name. It is part of the Church of England and in the Diocese of Blackburn. 

History

The building of St Annes Church was commissioned by Lady Clifton in the early 1870s and named in memory of her aunt who was called Anne. It was built as a chapel of ease to the then parish church of St Cuthbert in Lytham to benefit the farm labourers and fishermen of the hamlet of Heyhouses, who had difficulty in getting to church on a Sunday morning. It was several miles walk

Neptune Energy Aberdeen

Good morning,

Another Aberdeen office. This is one of the first photos taken with my drone. It was a nerve wrecking flight that’s for sure ha!

Some information on the building.

This commercial building was completed in 2015 for energy firm GDF Suez, designed by the award winning Halliday Fraser Munro. The project value was £8 million. This distinctive building in Aberdeen city centre was winner of the BCO award for ‘Best Commercial Workplace’ in 2015. Judges in the British Council for Offices’ (BCO’s) Regional Awards said the 40,000 square feet riverside development showed what can be achieved by a “clear vision that puts the needs of the occupier centre stage”, while at the same time benefiting the wider community.

The building is now occupied by Neptune Energy, who are an independent exploration and production company in the oil and gas industry, who have a regional focus on the North Sea, North Africa and Asia Pacific with a diverse, gas-weighted portfolio and deep industry expertise.

Have a great weekend.

Lee

Annan House Aberdeen

While I am now spending 75% of my time in Aberdeen.

I am out documenting some buildings and offices of Aberdeen.

So today I start with Annan House which EnQuest and WorleyParsons occupy in the city centre. Early morning it catches the sun beautifully.

Completed in 2015 this eight storey building provides 120,000ft2 of grade ‘A’ office space. This building has led to the physical regeneration of a neglected and run down area of the City and also act as a catalyst in generating additional long-term economic activity for the Aberdeen harbour area and city in general.

I hope that you have a good weekend.

All the best

Lee