The EPOCH Editorial Team
We all have a favourite building. As odd as that may sound, if someone approached you in the street to ask what yours was, it is more than likely that you would be able to come up with an answer. That is just what we asked the EPOCH Editorial Team, and the selection of sites below perfectly encapsulates why buildings are so fascinating to the historically minded amongst us. Whether they are conventionally beautiful or of a more specific taste, perfectly preserved or lying in ruins, adored sites of sacred worship or tainted landmarks of a chequered past; they all have a story to tell.
Historians can pull many together broader themes from the most mundane looking buildings; one of the perks of living in a city with a history as rich as Lancaster’s is that one never seems to be more than ten feet away from something interesting. Be it a hotel frequented by Charles Dickens, the pub where condemned prisoners allegedly enjoyed their last drink before execution, the ruins of a Roman bath house or, of course, our beloved Lancaster Castle. Below is a selection of our favourite picks, they range from sites of ancient ruins and brutalist themes to wonders of the world and a football team. They provide a wonderful insight into the minds of historians and demonstrate how the simple thought of ‘that’s interesting, I wonder why it was built?’ can open up an entirely new avenue of research.
THE SANCTUARY OF APHRODITE AT PAPHOS
Aimée Wilkinson
From Uranus’ castrated genitals thrown to the sea by his vengeful son Cronus emerged the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, Aphrodite. Emerging from a shell, as seen in Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, she stepped onto the nearby island of Cyprus. Here, cultic activity to a goddess of fertility dates to 1200 BC. Artefacts dating to the Late Bronze Age have been found at the sanctuary such as horns of consecration, a pithos (a large storage jar), and a shrine.
The Sanctuary of Aphrodite at Paphos features across the literature of antiquity, posing different myths and origins of the city and temple. Pausanias claimed in his Descriptions of Greece that the city and temple were founded by the Greek hero Agapenor after his journey home from Troy was redirected to Cyprus by a storm. Ovid’s Metamorphoses tells the story of Pygmalion, King of Cyprus, and his love of Galatea, a statue of a woman he created to which Aphrodite gave life. Their daughter Paphos’ son, Cínriors, then founded the city and built the temple to Aphrodite. Homer’s Odyssey details the site when Aphrodite flees to her ‘precinct and fragrant altar’ after being caught in bed with Ares by her husband Hephaestus; she is bathed, anointed with oil, and dressed in ‘lovely garments’ by the Graces at the sanctuary.
Following an earthquake in 76/77 AD, the Romans rebuilt the temple (as seen on the Roman coin), staying true to the original style with open-air courts and mosaic floors. The original votive statue of the goddess, a large black stone described by Tacitus, remains at the site, as well as fragments of terracottas from the Archaic to the Roman period. However, medieval disturbance of the site means the ruins are not as fantastical as other temples, but the sanctuary still survives as an important link to the ancient and mythical world.
Further Reading
Vassos Karageorghis and F.G. Maier, Paphos: History and Archaeology (Leventis (A.G.) Foundation, 1984).
Panayiotis Georgiou, Cyprus within the Ancient Greek World (Xilbris, 2016).
A video tour of the ruins surviving today can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1wgsxPYqSI&t=205s [Accessed 25th February 2025].
MEMORIES OF TURKEY 2022: A PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH THE HAGIA SOFIA
Jimyeong-Kim Jin
The Hagia Sophia is one of the most remarkable architectural achievements in the world, famous for blending both Cathedral and Mosque. It was originally commissioned by Emperor Justinian I in the sixth century, showing the might and piety of the Eastern Roman Empire. At the time of its completion, no other structure rivalled its massive central dome. Throughout its long and storied past, the Hagia Sophia has experienced the cultural and religious shifts of the city. Following the Ottoman conquest in 1453, it was converted into a mosque, four minarets were built, and decorative calligraphy panels were added which drew upon existing Icons, harmonized with the original Byzantine art. This merge of artistic styles—eastern and western, Christian and Islamic—gives visitors a profound sense of witnessing the history it experienced.
In the twentieth century, during Atatürk’s secular reforms of the Turkish Republic, the Hagia Sophia was re-designated as a museum, allowing people of all backgrounds to admire its heritage. More recently, it reverted to a mosque by Presidential Decree—once again transforming its function. Fortunately, a few compromises were made. Only the first-floor functions as a mosque, whilst the second floor still remains as a museum. During my visit in 2022, the second floor was closed for mural restoration. However, I was still able to explore the first floor. Even after its reversion to a mosque, tourists were not restricted from entering, and since it now serves as a place of worship, entry was free. I can vividly recall stepping through the Imperial Gate, feeling an intense sense of wonder. The light filtering through the high windows highlighted the golden mosaics, creating a shimmering spectacle that seemed almost otherworldly. Standing in the nave full of people, I was struck not only by the monumentality of space, but also by its serenity—despite the crowds, I felt as though the history itself was breathing through the walls.
Further Reading
Cyril Mango, Hagia Sophia: A Vision for Empires (Hippocrene, 2005).
John Freely, Istanbul: The Imperial City (Penguin, 1996).
UNIVERSITY OF PADUA'S PALAZZO DEL BO
Angelina Andreeva
The Palazzo del Bo (Bo Palace) is not only a spectacular historic landmark of the northern Italian city, Padua, but also the headquarters of one of the oldest universities in the world. Located right in the city centre, Palazzo del Bo has been shaped by centuries of architectural transformation, blending Renaissance, Baroque, and Modern elements. At the core of this architectural complex lies Cortile Antico (Ancient Court), the main attraction which draws visitors from all around the world. This beautifully preserved rectangular double-loggia courtyard with a Renaissance-style portico serves as the main entrance to the Palazzo. Its design resembles a monastic cloister that symbolically reminds visitors of the historic connection between universities and monasteries - both associated with knowledge, study, and discipline.
The Palazzo’s outer walls are adorned with thousands of coats of arms which belonged to professors and students, commemorating their presence at the university. Inside, the Palazzo is full of rare historical gems. Notably, it houses the pulpit from which Galileo Galilei once lectured, and it is still on display in the Aula Magna (Great Hall). Another highlight is the oldest Anatomical Theatre in the world, built in 1594 under the guidance of a prominent anatomist, Girolamo Fabrici d’Acquapendente. This theatre and the Palazzo as well were highly praised by the English early modern diarist John Evelyn, who visited the University during his travels and decided to stay there to study. In 1645, he recorded visiting the lecture halls on the first floor of the Palazzo ‘but none of them comparable, or so much frequented, as the theater [sic] for anatomy, which is excellently contrived both for the dissector and spectators’.
Although founded in 1222 by a group of students who left the University of Bologna, Padua’s University moved to the Palazzo del Bo only three centuries later. The area originally featured three houses, which were the residence of the noble family of Papafava. The property was then awarded to the butcher for his efforts in supplying the city with meat during the siege. He turned it into an inn with an ox’s skull on its emblem. Interestingly, this symbol endured over time, eventually becoming a part of the university’s coat of arms. In fact, the very name ‘Bo’ simply means ‘ox’.
Further Reading
Lucia Rosetti, The University of Padua: An Outline of its History, (Edizioni Lint, 1988)
THE FRIEDRICH-LUDWIG-JAHN-SPORTPARK, BERLIN
Alex Pomeroy
The Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, in the Berlin Borough of Pankow, was inherently connected to the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The ‘Free German Youth’ association built the venue for the ‘3rd World Festival of Youth and Students’ in 1951 to showcase to the West the success of the Soviet satellite state. Originally the ‘Berliner Sportpark’, it was renamed to honour the father of modern gymnastics – a sport the GDR invested heavily in for a return of thirty-six Olympic medals.
Whilst also used for athletics, the stadium is best known as the home of several East German football clubs. Berliner Fussball Club Dynamo (henceforth BFC Dynamo) are most closely associated with the ground, having first used it during the 1971-72 season before moving permanently for the 1975-76 season. Ironically, their first game as permanent residents was a 7-1 thrashing of FC Vorwärts Frankfurt in the DDR-Oberliga (the top division of East German football). FC Vorwärts Frankfurt called the Sportpark home from 1953-1971 as FC Vorwärts Berlin (originally from Leipzig), winning numerous titles before being mysteriously relocated to Frankfurt an der Oder near the Polish border. That honorary president and dedicated BFC Dynamo supporter, Erich Mielke (also the head of the secret police, the fearsome Stasi), felt threatened by the success of the rival Berlin team before their move east is, of course, purely coincidental.
Under accusations of match-fixing and intimidation of fellow teams and match officials, BFC Dynamo won ten straight league titles and became the GDR’s most successful club. Their players and fans were regularly met with chants of ‘Stasi pigs!’ and antisemitism as hostility grew throughout the 1980s. Alan McDougall has even argued that the campaign against Dynamo was the most unified protest movement within the GDR. Following reunification, the club moved to the Sportforum Berlin complex ahead of the 1992-93 season, returning to the Sportpark from 2014 to 2021, when they once again switched to the Sportforum.
BFC Dynamo now ply their trade within the lower tiers of the German football pyramid, however the legacy of their halcyon days at the Sportpark continued to taint the site for supporters of a certain generation. Fans of 1. FC Union Berlin, BFC Dynamo’s main rivals, vigorously protested at having to use the stadium in the noughties due to UEFA requirements, or during the whole of the 2008-09 season whilst their usual home ground was rebuilt. In 2015, the famous old ground hosted the UEFA Women’s Champions League final between 1. FFC Frankfurt and Paris Saint-Germain. Sadly, in October 2024, excavators moved into the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark to begin the process of demolishing the stadium to build a modern complex on the same site. Petitions calling for the government to save an example of Eastern modernism have come to nought, but perhaps some solace can be taken in knowing that the area has hosted sports facilities since the late-1800s, and the new stadium will add the latest chapter to Germany’s fascinating sporting history.
Further Reading
Alan McDougall, The People’s Game: Football State and Society in East Germany (Cambridge University Press, 2016).
Uli Hesse, Tor! The Story of German Football (Polaris Publishing, 2022).
IN DEFENCE OF PRESTON BUS STATION
Jude Rowley
From Gothic Revival Manchester to time-honoured Georgian Lancaster, Lancashire is a county of diverse architectural identities. Among these, its imposing concrete brutalism is perhaps uniquely under-loved and derided. Nonetheless, from Forton’s Pennine Tower to Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Lancashire is perhaps Britain’s capital of brutalism. Its chief showpiece is Preston’s Central Bus Station, whose iconic façade has become a byword for the new brutalism of the post-war period.
Composed of undulating waves of concrete, its sweeping fins temper the angularity typically associated with brutalist buildings. Stretching 170 metres long, its scale is no less striking. When constructed, it was the largest bus station in Europe, and possibly the world. It is the ultimate testament to a mid-twentieth century approach to architecture that made no apologies for prioritising ‘ethic’ over ‘aesthetic’. Nonetheless, there is still form to accompany the function. There is something comforting in its uniformity, where East Berlin apartment block meets Japanese pagoda to produce a megastructure that could only have been forged in the ‘white heat’ of Wilsonian Britain.
Opened in 1969, the station was the crowning glory of Building Design Partnership Ltd. (BDP), the disruptive architectural firm founded by Preston’s own George Grenfell-Baines in 1961. Its design was largely the work of BDP’s Keith Ingham and Charles Wilson with construction carried out by Ove Arup and Partners. Beyond a building, it was an experiment in urban planning. With space for 80 buses at a time alongside 1,100 vehicles in the multi-storey car park above, it was designed as a multi-use megastructure. Once the futuristic Guild Hall was opened in 1973, an overhead footbridge connected the two, further integrating the station into the heart of Preston. It was intended to serve as the transport hub for a Central Lancashire ‘new town’ that would have combined Preston, Chorley, and Leyland into a super-city expected to accommodate 500,000 people by 1990. The bus station was designed with these projections in mind and though it was built, the new town never was. As such, it is a glimpse into a future that never came to be.
It was constructed from 2,800 units of pre-cast reinforced concrete, each set in glass reinforced polyester (GRP) moulds. A touch of continental flair can be found in the rubber floor tiles supplied by Pirelli, the Italian tyre manufacturer generally associated with Formula 1 cars rather than Ribble buses. Five decades later, the rubber floor has proved as hard-wearing as the concrete exterior. Similarly durable benches, boarding bay barriers, and doors were made of oiled iroko hardwood, imported from the newly independent former British colonies of West Africa such as Ghana and Nigeria.
Despite its innovative design, however, the station became so unloved after decades in use that its own council spent several years trying to demolish it. Central Bus Station faced the prospect of becoming another victim of the war on public transport when it was dismissed by Preston City Council as an eyesore and condemned for demolition in 2012.
Nonetheless, a last-minute reprieve saved the station when a successful residents’ campaign secured Grade II listed status in 2013. This not only preserved Preston Central Bus Station for another generation but also prompted a major refurbishment commencing in 2016. The renovation modernised the building by converting the western stands into an open concourse, but did not otherwise adjust its architectural style for modern tastes. Instead, it was restored to its former glory in a painstaking, but historically sensitive, manner. The commitment to using original materials and designs to restore the building earned widespread plaudits, including a prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects National Award. It was both a success story for historical conservation and an indication that 1960s municipal brutalism may still be due a rehabilitation.
As a result of its renovation, the station still stands much as it did in 1969. It is a historical monument to a bygone age of urban planning that married the visibly striking with the decidedly practical. There is an often an aversion to the brutalism of this era and its austere concrete frankness, perhaps soured above all by the unfulfilled promise of modernity. Nonetheless, brutalist buildings stand as reminders that effective urban planning ought to be bold rather than beautiful. As Preston Central Bus Station highlights, however, it is possible to achieve both.
Further Reading
Billy Reading, Brutalism (Amberley 2018).
Matthew Lloyd Roberts, ‘The Art of Preston Bus Station’, Tribune (2021) Available at: https://tribunemag.co.uk/2021/11/preston-model-bus-station-brutalism-modernism-community-wealth-building [Accessed 25th February 2025].