Sir Basil Spence (1907-1976)

Architect

Basil Unwin Spence was born in India on 13 August 1907, the son of Unwin Spence and Daisy Crisp. In 1919 he moved to Edinburgh for his schooling and from 1925 studied sculpture and architecture at the Edinburgh College of Art. In 1931 he joined the practice of Rowand Anderson, Balfour Paul and Partners and also worked on private commissions. He married Mary Ferris on 6 September 1934. During the Second World War he served in the Royal Artillery and worked in intelligence. After the war he set up his own firm. In 1951 he won the competition to build the new cathedral at Coventry. His design set the modern building at right angles, and at a lower level, to the ruins of the old cathedral but linked to it and the wider city environment. He used specialist craftsmen to ensure high building standards and commissioned works from leading artists. He was knighted in 1960 and given the title Royal Designer for Industry. The new Coventry Cathedral, symbolising rebirth and the linking of old with new, was consecrated in 1962 and met with international acclaim. Basil Spence continued to have offices in Edinburgh and London. Work in Scotland included churches, the University of Edinburgh Library and Mortonhall Crematorium. He died on 19 November 1976 at Yarley Hall in Suffolk.

1935 valuation roll

In 1935 Basil Spence, architect, 16 Rutland Square, Edinburgh was recorded as a tenant and occupier of a house, garden and shed at Martyrs Cross. The entry in the return for the parish of Glencorse (Penicuik District Council) in the county of Midlothian records the owners as Trustees of the late Dorothy Ross. Rowand Anderson's architectural practice was based at 16 Rutland Square.

1935 valuation roll entry for Basil Spence (17 KB jpeg)
National Records of Scotland, VR 1935/108/63

1940 valuation roll

In 1940 Basil Spence, Martyr's Cross, Milton Bridge was recorded as a tenant and occupier at the site in Glencourse Mains. The entry in the return for the parish of Glencorse (Penicuik District Council) in the county of Midlothian doesn't give his profession. 

1940 valuation roll entry for Basil Spence (21 KB jpeg)
National Records of Scotland, VR 1940/108/68