Basic Biographical Details Name: | Sir Basil Spence, Glover & Ferguson | Designation: | | Born: | 1964 | Died: | 1992 | Bio Notes: | Sir Basil Spence, Glover & Ferguson was the name of Basil Spence's Edinburgh practice from early 1964. Until just prior to that time, Spence's Edinburgh and London offices had worked under the same title of Basil Spence & Partners. Between 1961 and 1964 Spence restructured his practice into three separate partnerships: in London, Sir Basil Spence, Bonnington & Collins, and Sir Basil Spence OM RA; and in Edinburgh, the practice continued as Basil Spence & Partners until 1964 when it was renamed Sir Basil Spence, Glover & Ferguson (see separate entries for earlier and London practice histories). Throughout its existence, it was based in offices at 40 Moray Place, which the firm had held since 1946.
John Hardie Glover and Peter Scott Ferguson had both been taken into partnership by Spence in 1956, although not fully recognised in the practice title until now. An associate, James ('Jimmy') Beveridge, was taken into partnership in May 1968. It was also in 1968 that the practice suffered a great loss when Ferguson was taken seriously ill, dying on 1 February 1969.
Major work carried out by the practice under Spence's directorship included projects as diverse as the Hutchesontown C redevelopment in the Gorbals (1965) and Abbotsinch Airport (1966) in Glasgow, Hyde Park Cavalry Barracks in London (1970), and the Chancery of the British Embassy in Rome (1971). By the early 1970s Spence was withdrawing from everyday involvement with the three architectural practices of which he was the head. He retired in 1972, although he continued to act as a consultant to the firm. In his last years he retreated to his holiday villas on Malta and Majorca, stung by a reaction against his work which was in sharp contrast to his previous popularity, but he nevertheless remained a prolific designer with a number of foreign commissions. He died at Yaxley Hall, near Eye, Suffolk, on 19 November 1976.
Spence's retirement in 1972 left Glover as Senior Partner. Andrew Merrylees was taken into partnership in the same year, and John M Legge in 1973.
Glover retired from practice in 1980, but remained as a consultant to the firm. He died at home on 6 April 1994.
Glover's retirement left Jimmy Beveridge as senior partner, a position he still held in 1992 when he closed the office. Merrylees had left the firm in 1985 to set up his own practice, and Legge went on to practise on his own account on closure of the Spence firm.
(See separate entries for full biographies of partners and for earlier practice history.)
| Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | 40, Moray Place, Edinburgh, Scotland | Business | 1964 | 1992 | |
Employment and TrainingEmployees or Pupils* earliest date known from documented sources.
Buildings and DesignsThis was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details): | | Date started | Building name | Town, district or village | Island | City or county | Country | Notes | | 1960s | Durham University, St Aidan's College | Durham | | Co. Durham | England | | | 1960s | Edinburgh University Library | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | | | 1960s | Glasgow Royal Infirmary | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Redevelopment | | 1960s | ICI Silicones Factory | Ardeer | | Ayrshire | Scotland | | | 1960s | King's College, University of Durham, Physics Department | | | Newcastle-upon-Tyne | England | | | 1960s | Newcastle Central Library and Laing Art Gallery | | | Newcastle-upon-Tyne | England | in association with city architect George Kenyon | | 1960s | Procter & Gamble computer building | | | | | | | 1960s | Secondary School | Dinnington | | Sheffield | England | | | 1960s | University College Dublin library | | | Dublin | Eire | | | 1964 | 65-71 and 97-103 Canongate and 1-3 Brown's Close | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | Begun in 1961 under practice title of Basil Spence & Partners; completed under this practice title. | | 1964 | Crookfur Old People's Homes, Crookfur Road | Newton Mearns | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | | | 1964 | Glasgow (Abbotsinch) Airport | nr Paisley | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | £2m terminal building (begun in 1961 under practice title of Basil Spence & Partners) | | 1964 | Hutchesontown / Gorbals Area C Housing Redevelopment | Hutchesontown/Gorbals | | Glasgow | Scotland | latter stages of project (begun under Basil Spence & Partners) | | 1964 | Mortonhall Crematorium | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | | | 1964 | University of Glasgow, Department of Genetics | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Begun under practice name of Basil Spence & Partners, continued under this title. | | c. 1964 | Glasgow University, Institute of Virology Department building | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Completion when practice operated under this name. | | 1966 | Glasgow University, Natural Philosophy Buildings | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Further additions | | 1966 | University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building | The King's Buildings | | Edinburgh | Scotland | | | 1966 | University of Edinburgh, Regional Computing Centre and Lecture Theatre Wing | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | | | 1966 | Western General Hospital, laundry and boiler house | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | | | 1968 | Bar and Buffet Extension at Glasgow (Abbotsinch) Airport | Abbotsinch | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1970s | Aston University Library | | | Birmingham | England | | | 1970s | Edinburgh Centre for Rural Economy, Bush Estate | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | | | 1970s | Harry Younger Hall | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | | | 1970s | Miners Welfare Club | Blantyre | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | | | 1970s | University College Dublin library | | | Dublin | Eire | Alterations | | 1970s | Western General Hospital, Sisters' Quarters | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | Alterations? | | c. 1970 | Burrell Collection | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Competition design | | 1971 | University of Strathclyde, Queen Elizabeth Building | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | 1972 | Heriot-Watt University, library | Riccarton | | Midlothian | Scotland | | | 1972 | Scottish Widows Fund and Life Assurance Head Office | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | | | 1974 | Automobile Association Headquarters | Erskine | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | | | Before 1975 | Sydney Jones Library, University of Liverpool | | | Liverpool | England | | | 1976 | National Bank of Scotland, Edinburgh West End | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | New bank encapsulating old building. | | c. 1978 | University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building | The King's Buildings | | Edinburgh | Scotland | Extension | | After 1979 | BBC Studios | Calton Hill | | Edinburgh | Scotland | | | After 1979 | Medical Library | | | | | | | Early 1970s | Hadrian's Wall Gallery | | | Newcastle-upon-Tyne | England | | | 1980 | Kirkcaldy Burgh Infectious Diseases Hospital | Kirkcaldy | | Fife | Scotland | New block to north of Hayfield Road | | 1980 | Post office letter sorting office | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | | | Before 1981 | Aston University, management centre | | | Birmingham | England | | | Before 1981 | Project for oil refinery | Invergordon | | Ross & Cromarty | Scotland | | | Before 1981 | University of Newcastle, Departments of Mining and Geology | | | Newcastle-upon-Tyne | England | | | 1984 | National Library of Scotland, Causewayside Building | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | Begun | | 1984 | St James Centre and Government Offices | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | Proposal to extend the building | | 1985 | Eastern District College of Nursing | | | Glasgow | Scotland | | | Late 1980s | Glasgow (Abbotsinch) Airport | nr Paisley | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | Design of airport extension and refurbishment, with John Mamoch Legge as architect [The Scotsman, 15 June 1992]. |
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | Gifford, John, McWilliam, Colin and Walker, David M | 1984 | Edinburgh (The Buildings of Scotland) | | Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd | p220 | | Glendinning, Miles | 1997 | Rebuilding Scotland: The Postwar Vision, 1945-75 | | Tuckwell Press Ltd | pXI A 1958 sketch perspective of Hutchesontown / Gorbals Area 'C' proposed blocks pXII Demolition of Hutchesontown 'C' September 1993 p20, p39, p92-4, p98-102, p144-7, p175 Hutchesontown Area C pp38, 96, 98, 162 Mortonhall Crematorium p92-102 p141-2, p165-7 Edinburgh University Library | | http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/122525/details/edinburgh+george+square+univ | | http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/122525/details/edinburgh+george+square+university+of+edinburgh+library/ | | | Edinburgh University Library Accessed 21.04.12 | | Walker, Frank Arneil | 1986 | South Clyde Estuary: An Illustrated Architectural Guide to Inverclyde and Renfrew | | | p21, p103 | | Willis, Peter | 1977 | New architecture in Scotland | | | p8, p10 Fishermen's Houses p14, p38-41 Mortonhall Crematorium p46-7 Edinburgh University Library p60-1 Scottish Widows |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | Builder | 10 April 1964 | | | p742 | | Building | 20 January 1967 | | | p77 | | Building | 5 May 1967 | | | p94 |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this : | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | Sent to DSA by email | Information from AHRC/RCAHMS Spence project per David W Walker and Clive Fenton | | Clive Fenton's research notes (sent July 2010) |
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