Sir Basil Spence - The Great Modernist Architect

Basil Spence was a Scottish architect, most notably associated with Coventry Cathedral in England and the Beehive in New Zealand, He worked out of practices in Rutland Square and then Moray Place and was responsible for numerous buildings in the Modernist/Brutalist style. He designed a theatre, a crematorium, libraries, a nuclear power station and an airport. However, his masterpiece was Coventry Cathedral, where he won a competition from 200 architects to rebuild the bombed Cathedral. The subject of a recent BBC documentary the building of the Cathedral linked his love of modernism with an eye for classical architecture. The Dean of Coventry Cathedral John Whitcombe will speak about the impact of his work with film clips images and stories of his vision. The chair will set the scene with images of his great works

John Witcombe is Dean of Coventry and has led posts in Durham, London and Gloucester. As part of his mission around peace and reconciliation for the church he has spoken across the globe. He is passionate about the arts and architecture and has commissioned many new works to complement the architecture of Sir Basil Spence. He is currently overseeing the first extension of the Cathedral and features heavily in the recent BBC documentary. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000wvm3/coventry-cathedral-building-for-a-new-britain Linked to UK City of Culture the Cathedral has hosted artists, musicians and performers from film maker Mark Cousin to musician Nitin Sawhney and events such as the Booker Prize and RIBA Stirling prize for architecture.

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