A prominent figure in the Modern Movement, Sir Basil Spence (1907-76) is best known for his spectacular design for Coventry Cathedral. He was born in India but was sent back to Edinburgh at the age of 12 to attend school. Spence studied both at the Edinburgh College of Art and the Bartlett School of Architecture. Early in his career he worked for Sir Edwin Lutyens, who provided him with much inspiration. Although he completed three houses in Scotland during the inter-war period, Spence’s career flourished post-war. Stylistically, many of his buildings blend Modernist and traditional elements – for example, the Regency style is in evidence at a house he designed in Stirlingshire, and the Scottish vernacular at the Canongate Development in Edinburgh. Sir Basil Spence was President of the RIBA from 1958 to 1960.