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Spence was born in Bombay, India but was sent back to Scotland to study. He attended George Watson's College in Edinburgh, then the architecture school of the city’s Heriot-Watt University, before completing his architectural studies at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London.
His first post was as an assistant in the London office of Sir Edwin LutyensSir Edwin Landseer Lutyens OM ( March 29 1869 January 1 1944), a British architect, designed many English country houses and was instrumental in the layout and building of New Delhi. He was born and died in London. He studied Architecture at South Kensing (whose work was to have a profound influence on Spence's style), where he worked on designs for the Viceroy's House in New DelhiCities in India Capitals in Asia India Gate is situated in the heart of New Delhi. India's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is under India Gate. New Delhi is the capital of India, and is part of the National capital territory of Delhi. It is the seat of govern, India. He subsequently joined the London office of Rowland Anderson & Paul, where he worked with Sir William Kininmonth , then returned to Edinburgh in 1930.
Spence served in the British Army from 1939-1945, reaching the rank of major.
During the war, Coventry’s Anglican CathedralThe city of Coventry, West Midlands, England is unusual in that it has had three cathedrals. The first was St. Mary's, a monastic building, only a few ruins of which remain. The second was St. Michael's, an Anglican cathedral and now a ruined shell since had been almost completely destroyed during enemy bombing. In 1944, Sir Giles Gilbert ScottSir Giles Gilbert Scott ( 9 November 1880- 8 February 1960) was an English architect, the son of George Gilbert Scott Junior and grandson of Sir George Gilbert Scott, both also noted architects, as was his uncle, John Oldrid Scott. He was educated at Beau submitted a design proposal to rebuild the cathedral but this was rejected by the Royal Fine Arts Commission . In 1950, a competition was launched to find the most suitable design from a British Commonwealth architect. Over 200 entries were received, but Spence's radical design was ultimately chosen. Work began in 19561956 is a leap year starting on Sunday. see link for calendar) Events January January 1 End of Anglo- Egyptian Condominium in Sudan. January 16 President Gamal Abdal Nasser of Egypt vows to reconquer Palestine January 26 1956 Winter Olympic Games open in and the structure was completed in 1962Events January January 1 Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand January 3 Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro January 4 New York City introduces a train that operates without a crew on-board January 8 Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is e. Spence was knighted in 1960 for his work at Coventry, and also served as President of the Royal Institute of British ArchitectsThe Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects in the United Kingdom. It was awarded a Royal Charter in 1837. The RIBA is a member organisation, with 30,000 members. It is based in central London and in a dozen regi (1958-1960).
In a low point in Spence's career, he was also responsible for designing some of the infamous high-rise housing developments in Glasgow, Scotland. These concrete monstrosities were intended to replace the notorious slum tenements in the Gorbals area of the city. However, a combination of social deprivation and exclusion in the relevant areas, coupled to poor execution of his designs meant that the developments created as many problems as they solved. His most derided, the Hutchesontown C scheme, was demolished in 1993.