Cathedral architect highlighted

Sir Basil was "passionate" about buildings, his daughter said

An exhibition featuring the works of Coventry Cathedral's architect, Sir Basil Spence, has opened in the city.

Back to the Future at the Herbert Art Gallery remembers Sir Basil, who died in 1976.

He masterminded the rebuilding of Coventry after the bombing of the city in November 1940.

Sir Basil's work includes the British Embassy in Rome, the original Glasgow Airport and the city's tower blocks in the Gorbals, which were demolished.

'Endless list'

Jane Thomas, from Royal Commission Exhibitions, said he was the person who "made architecture a household name" in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s.

She said: "Obviously he's very famous for Coventry Cathedral, but after that he was involved in just everything you could possibly think of.

"He designed a nuclear power station, an airport, office buildings, public housing schemes - it's just an endless list."

Sir Basil had to defend some of his work and faced unhappy tenants of his Glasgow tower blocks on national television.

'Good relations'

His daughter, Gillian Blee, said: "I think he was hurt and upset, because I think like most of us we want to be loved.

"We want our work to be loved and he bounced back after, but I think he found it quite painful.

"He was passionate about his buildings, especially Coventry and I miss him."

His son-in-law, Anthony Blee, who is an architect, said the embassy building in Rome is "much admired" by the Italians.

He said: "One of the tasks of the diplomatic exercise is to generate good relations and the Italians certainly like the building very much."

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The exhibition will take place at Coventry's Herbert Art Gallery