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Sir Basil Spence
Event ID 567371
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Sir Basil Spence
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/567371
Building Notes
Yaxley Hall is a country house that dates back to the 16th century, located just outside the village of Yaxley in Suffolk. The original house was extended and modified several times over the centuries. By the end of the 19th century there were five distinct blocks, arranged symmetrically in a row, with the oldest block being at the south end. In 1922, the two northernmost blocks were destroyed in a fire, leaving the central block and the two southernmost blocks.
Sir Basil Spence purchased Yaxley Hall in the 1970s, with a view to it being his main residence in the UK. As it turned out he did not live there for long due to his premature death at Yaxley Hall in November 1976. His final designs - for a Cultural Centre in Bahrain - were carried out at the house. Both Spence and his wife Lady Joan Spence are buried nearby at Thornham Parva, Suffolk.
Archive Details
The Sir Basil Spence Archive contains sketches by Spence comprising perspectives, an elevation, and plans of the house. One drawing shows sections of what is now known as the Music Room. This is a barrel-vaulted room on the first floor in the oldest part of the house. This drawing highlights the ornate plasterwork added by Spence that still decorates the ceiling today. Other drawings include sections prepared by M and S Gooch Architects, who had been commissioned by the previous owners to carry out restoration work.
Spence's drawings of Yaxley Hall demonstrate his freehand drawing skills as well as his enthusiasm and interest in historic architecture. Although he is better known for his modern designs, his main home in London was also an historic house, in the Canonbury district of Islington.
The Archive also contains drawings for a gazebo, referred to on the drawings as The Teahouse of the August Moon. This gazebo, designed by Spence himself, still stands in the gardens of the house. It was his last work to be built during his lifetime and was constructed the week of his death.
Archive Summary
The Archive contains a total of nine drawings, and one photograph of the gazebo.
This text was written as one of the outputs of the Sir Basil Spence Archive Project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, 2005-08.
