Basil Spence Architect : Architecture Information

Key Projects Sir Basil (Urwin) Spence born 13.08.07 in Bombay, India; died 19.11.76 in Stowmarket, England Basil Spence : British Embassy Rome, Italy Touring Exhibition – Back to the Future 22 Feb – 8 Apr 2008 RIBA London Major Buildings British Embassy, Rome, Italy 1971 Beehive, Wellington, New Zealand 1970-80 Queen Elizabeth Square Housing, Glasgow, Scotland 1960-65 University of Sussex, Student Accommodation, Brighton, England 1960 Coventry Cathedral, Coventry, England 1951-62 Ministry of Justice, Kuwait City, Kuwait, 1984 for Ministry of Public Works - as Sir Basil Spence Partnership Erasmus Building, Queens College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge 1959-60 Home Office, St James Park, London, 1976 Key Scottish building by Basil Spence: Queen Elizabeth Square Glasgow Although born in India, Spence was educated and spent much of his working life in Edinburgh (his father was Scottish). Before sttting up his own practice Basil Spence worked for Sir William Kininmonth (1904-88) at the practice of Rowand Anderson & Paul. Coventry Cathedral, England, is generally regarded as being Basil Spence's most famous work. Coventry Cathedral 1951-62 Basil Spence photo © webbaviation EDINBURGH 79-121 Canongate 1966-68 Sir Basil Spence, Glover & Ferguson Basil Spence housing : Canongate Flats Edinburgh University Library, University campus - George Square 1965-67 Sir Basil Spence + Glover & Ferguson Basil Spence library Lismhor, No. 11 Easter Belmont Rd 1933/35 Kininmonth & Spence In a series of 1930's modern houses on this private road Basil Spence house : Lismhor House Scottish Widows Building, St Andrew Square Basil Spence : St Andrew Square building St Andrew's Church, Clermiston View 1959 (Sir) Basil Spence & Partners Landmark campanile adrift in suburbia. Mortonhall Crematorium, Howdenhall Road 1967 Sir Basil Spence, Glover & Ferguson Assortment of white Corbusian buildings in rolling parkland setting: the crystalline chapel's interior feels Scandinavian. Basil Spence : Mortonhall Crematorium Southside Garage 3,000 sqft apartment conversion from the 'B' Listed Basil Spence building refurbished by Duffy & Batt 2002-03. Basil Spence : Southside Garage Kings' Buildings - Animal Breeding Research Headquarters: Kings Buildings Basil Spence House, Cramond This 1950s Edinburgh house designed by Basil Spence was demolished in Aug 2004 just days before a Historic Scotland inspector was due to visit with a view to awarding listed building status. Conservationists were keen to see the two-storey house protected because it was designed by celebrated Edinburgh-based architect Sir Basil Spence. The City of Edinburgh Council gave permission for demolition of the modern house – deeming it a minor neo-vernacular work of Spence with major alterations - to make way for two new homes, with a planning application already submitted. The inspector from Historic Scotland reportedly only discovered the house in Whitehouse Road, Cramond, had been bulldozed less than an hour before his visit. City of Edinburgh Council chose not to impose a building preservation notice on the Cramond house, which would have given Historic Scotland six months to decide whether to list it. City of Edinburgh Council head of planning is set to meet Historic Scotland to discuss the case and the "under-listing" of modern buildings in Edinburgh. Housing, Broughton Place - Great Michael Rise, Newhaven 1959 Basil Spence housing EAST LOTHIAN Fisherman's Housing, Dunbar 1950-51 GLASGOW Queen Elizabeth Square : Housing - C Flats, Hutchesontown, Gorbals Basil Spence with Robert Matthew 1960 - 1965/66, demolished 1993 Including the Queen Elizabeth Square Shopping Centre. Queen Elizabeth Square Glasgow - now being redeveloped as Crown Street housing project The Department of Natural Philosophy Extension Faculty of Arts, University of Glasgow Department of Natural Philosophy Glasgow STIRLING Gribloch, Kippen, Stirling 1938-39 Modern Basil Spence house in Scottish countryside COVENTRY Coventry Cathedral, Coventry, England 1951-62 LONDON Knightsbridge Barracks, London 1970 CAMBRIDGE Erasmus Building, Friars Court, Queens College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge 1959-60 Initial designs in 1958 were for a five-storey building. The Erasmus Building became three-storey but remains controversial to this day as Cambridge's 'Backs' - verdant green spaces along both sides of the River Cam - are not only picturesque but integral to most images of Cambridge, such as Kings College Chapel. It was the first Modernist building on the Backs. After Le Corbusier the Erasmus Building sits on stilts and includes a pergola on the roof, and includes the slit windows so popular in the 1960's. Cambridge Architecture Scottish Architects: Famous Architects from Scotland through the ages Scottish Architecture: best scottish buildings of the last three decades Edinburgh Houses Basil Spence, Architect Basil Spence was born in Bombay but was sent back to Scotland to study. He attended George Watson's College in Edinburgh, then the architecture school at Heriot-Watt University, before completing his architectural studies at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London. Basil Spence’s started his career as an architecture assistant in the London office of Sir Edwin Lutyens. Spence worked on designs for the Viceroy's House in New Delhi, India and was heavily influenced by Lutyens. Spence then joined the London office of Rowand Anderson & Paul, where he worked with Sir William Kininmonth; he returned to Edinburgh in 1930. Spence served in the British Army from 1939-1945, reaching the rank of major. During the war, Coventry’s Anglican Cathedral had been almost completely destroyed during German bombing. In 1944, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott submitted a design proposal to rebuild the cathedral but this was rejected by the Royal Fine Arts Commission. In 1950, a competition was launched to find the most suitable design for the Coventry Cathedral rebuilding from a British Commonwealth architect. Basil Spence's radical design was selected from over 200 entries. Work began on Coventry Cathedral in 1956 and the structure was completed in 1962. Spence was knighted in 1960 for his work at Coventry. Spence served as Royal Institute of British Architects President 1958-1960. From 1961 to 1968, Basil Spence was Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy, London. Sometimes compared with Robert Adam for his attention to detail, particularly in incorporating bespoke furniture and other elements into interior spaces, Spence died in 1976 in Eye, Suffolk and was buried at Thornham Parva, Suffolk. Other Basil Spence Buildings Sea and Ships Pavilions for Festival of Britain, 1951 Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre originally 'Swiss Cottage Swimming Baths', London, 1960 Spence House, near Beaulieu, Hampshire, designed 1961, for Spence's own use and listed Grade II Sussex University: Various buildings in the 1960s including Falmer House, 1962, now a Grade I listed building Nuffield Theatre, Highfield Campus, University of Southampton, Hampshire 1964 Durham University buildings Glasgow Airport, 1966 Glasgow Infirmary - Sir Basil Spence, Glover & Ferguson 1981 Another Modern Architect based in the UK with buildings in Scotland is Peter Womersley Basil Spence - Workshop 2-4 Nov 2005: encouraging people of all ages to learn more about the life and work of Sir Basil Spence: Workshops Plan To Build On Architect's Legacy Sir Basil Spence's archive to become available to the public for the first time Public workshops encouraging people of all ages to learn more about the life and work of Sir Basil Spence, one of Scotland's most celebrated architects. The first community workshop will take place at the Spence-designed Scottish Widows HQ in Edinburgh. This and the programme of workshops are designed not only to educate primary and secondary schoolchildren and community groups about Sir Basil Spence's significant contribution to the profession, but also to address wider contemporary architectural challenges. The workshops form part of the Sir Basil Spence Archive Project, organised by The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) and its partners The National Galleries of Scotland and The Lighthouse. The archive, held by RCAHMS, features almost 38,000 drawings, photographs and other documents detailing Spence's long and distinguished career. The events will take place throughout the UK at a variety of sites designed by Spence, centred on venue-specific themes such as Travel, Worship and Education. Basil Spence is most famously associated with his radical designs for the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral following its destruction by bombing during World War II, a project for which he received a knighthood in 1960. Renowned for his attention to detail, Spence was involved in a varied range of high-profile architectural projects, from Glasgow Airport, through Knightsbridge Barracks and the extension of the New Zealand Parliament buildings, to controversial designs for high-rise flats in the Gorbals area of Glasgow. The project has attracted over £1m in funding - £975k from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and £200k from the Scottish Executive. Over the next three years, RCAHMS will make an illustrated catalogue available through its online database and website. In addition, a major exhibition of the archive at the Dean Gallery and travelling showcase that will visit seven locations throughout the UK are planned, to coincide with Spence's centenary in 2007. Rebecca Bailey, Head of Education and Outreach at RCAHMS said: "The workshops present a great opportunity to focus people's attention on the buildings they inhabit and to encourage them to unleash their creativity with the help of professional designers and film-makers. We look forward to the creation of architectural models of office buildings, documentary films on housing, and innovative artworks, all inspired by the legacy of Sir Basil Spence. The workshops and their themes are: 2-4 Nov - Office Life, Scottish Widows HQ, Edinburgh Feb 2006 - Travel, Glasgow Airport Apr 2006 - New Design In Historic Places, Canongate Housing, Edinburgh Jun 2006 - Urban Regeneration, Gorbals Tower Block, Glasgow Jul 2006 - Housing, Knightsbridge Barracks, London Sep 2006 - Worship, Coventry Cathedral Oct 2006 - Education, Duncanrig High School, East Kilbride; Thurso Academy, Caithness; Kilsyth Academy, North Lanarkshire

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