Sir Basil & the Unknown Print… Part II

I wrote recently about my very good fortune in acquiring this fantastic print of a watercolour and chalk drawing of Coventry Cathedral by Sir Basil Spence. Well I’ve been busy finding out more about it, and have the following to report…

When Spence died in 1976, his archive was bequeathed to the Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) and when I spoke to them they advised that this drawing did not form part of their collection. They had an original copy of the London Midland Train poster, but suggested that I should contact the RIBA Collection at the V&A, as they had the original drawing.

So we duly made an appointment, and last week little A & I went to see the collections Curator and his assistant, who were both very helpful and told us the following:

Spence presented the original drawing to the RIBA after his two year term as President sometime in 1963. The RIBA have a record of the drawing being exhibited at the Royal Academy but no record of any prints being made since it has been in their ownership.

The Curator also thought, that from the photo on my blog page, the frame looked contemporary with the print and suggested that in light of my story about the organist being the previous owner, it was possible that Spence had privately had a limited number of presentation prints produced to give to key people in the project and as neither the RCAHMS nor the RIBA had any prior knowledge of such prints, the number of them was probably quite small.

All very intriguing, but the icing on the cake was when the Curator said that the RIBA might be interested in buying our print as they didn’t have one (weren’t aware of any in fact) and it would be useful to have for exhibitions etc…. I said it wasn’t for sale, but that’s a nice thing to know.. maybe I’ll bequeath it to them when I’m in my dotage…

It goes without saying of course that it was a real treat to see the original work: the colours are still incredibly vibrant and the textures of the chalk, watercolour and oil on the paper give the whole piece an amazing depth especially as it is over 60 years old…

The bust above of the great man himself that was in the reading room at the V&A is by none other than Jacob Epstein (no surprise maybe when you consider the St Michael & the Devil connection at Coventry Cathedral). The Curator told us that there were two of these cast in honour of Spence’s Presidency of the RIBA from 1958 to 1960. This one was at the RIBA for many years before finding it’s new home at the V&A. The second one was presented to Spence, and I’m told he placed it in an alcove in the entrance hall to his Cannonbury offices… adorned with a laurel leaf crown. Apparently Spence was something of a vain and difficult man (as geniuses often are) and the Caesar allusions were not thought to be ironic… I’ll have to ask Bill Mitchell about this, I’m sure he’ll know if there’s any truth in it…

So an excellent hour or so at the V&A, and thanks very much to Charles and Katherine for taking the time to talk to us.

One final aspect to this story is that BBC Radio Coventry have been in touch after seeing my original post. 2012 sees the 60th anniversary of the consecration of Sir Basil’s Masterpiece, Coventry Cathedral and the BBC are looking for stories relating to its construction. Vanessa, the journalist who contacted me, was keen to speak to Bill Mitchell about his dealings with the Cathedral’s architect, and she was also interested in the story about my print and the possible connection to the organist. Vanessa and I haven’t managed to meet up as yet, but I know she has recently met Bill and Joy Mitchell and recorded Bill’s stories for possible transmission in the not too distant, which I for one can’t wait to hear… as I’ve said before, Bill is a man who is very good at telling a story….

So all in all our decision to buy the picture has created a string of events that have been both rewarding and interesting, and it’s very likely that we are not yet at the end of the tale…

New Pylon Design

This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the National Grid, the visible and enduring symbol of which has to be the humble pylon, or Transmission Tower, as it should more correctly be known…

As long ago as 1926, the Central Electricity Board (CEB) was created by an act of Parliament, an act which then paved the way for the creation of The National Grid, a huge undertaking that was envisaged as a system of aerial borne cables linking power stations not only to each other, but to towns and cities across the country. The decision to use overhead cables rather than bury then underground was based predominantly on the speed with which the system needed to be up and running, and (unsurprisingly in Interwar Britain) the cost of getting it done.

According to the RIBA’s competition website, 88,000 pylons march up and down this green and pleasant land, most of them being simple modifications and variations of the original 1928 concept proposed by an American Engineering company and chosen by the staunchly traditionalist architect Sir Reginald Blomfield (think Regents Street, 19th century Country Mansions and numerous WWI Memorials) possibly not the most obvious of choices for something so cutting edge, but certainly an Edwardian Gentleman of impeccable taste and social standing…

Back in May of this year, and in response to a growing murmuring to update the appearance of the pylon, the RIBA announced a competition to produce a modern and contemporary design that would provide “a new generation of pylon; setting a challenge ….. that has the potential to deliver for future generations, whilst balancing the needs of local communities and preserving the beauty of the countryside”.

A tough challenge indeed and judging by some of the more than 250 entries, not one that many people rose to.

You can see the six short listed entries here, one of which will be crowned the winner later this month. They are all very proper, functional and elegant and with the possible exception of No. 5 (which is rather silly) would not look out of place carrying our power around… and indeed, I’m sure the winner will become to be as much loved/ hated as the current (and in my opinion rather excellent) design…..

To finish I’ve selected (in no particular order) some of the more bizarre, inappropriate and amusing designs that were submitted. It will never cease to amaze me how so many different interpretations of one brief can be generated…