Rebuilding Sir Basil Spence's battered reputation

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Archiseek / UK / Scotland / News / 2006 / September 8

In the 1950s, 60s and 70s, Sir Basil Spence was Britain's most famous architect, but when he died in 1976 his reputation had suffered severely. Targeted in the backlash against modernist architecture, he was also attacked by more radical young architects and critics who disliked his eclectic style. In particular, his designs for the Hyde Park Barracks, Home Office Building and latterly, his tower blocks in Glasgow's Gorbals, came in for heavy criticism. When the Hutchesontown C Blocks were demolished in 1993, it marked a symbolic demolition of his own reputation in Scotland. A major new exhibition next year will celebrate the centenary of Spence's birth and attempt to re-evaluate his contribution to architecture. Ahead of this, ArtWorks Scotland investigates why Spence has been long neglected and whether he has been misunderstood.

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