Basic Biographical Details
| Name: | Michael Patrick Spens |
| Designation: | |
| Born: | 24 October 1939 |
| Died: | 28 March 2014 |
| Bio Notes: | Michael Patrick Spens was born in Windsor on 24 October 1939. His father, Patrick Spens, had enlisted at the beginning of the war and was stationed in Monte Cassino. Michael Spens was brought up by his mother, Susan, along with his younger sister. His father returned safely from the war but his mother was killed during the blitz, aged just 26. Michael Spens was sent to boarding school aged only four. He subsequently attended Eton. His National Service was spent in Germany. He then went up to Cambridge and studied for the degrees of MA and the diploma in architecture at Corpus Christi College. He also qualified with a diploma from the Architectural Association. He was elected ARIBA in 1969. During the 1970s he expanded into art and architectural publishing and enjoyed considerable success, including important collaborations with the late Charles McKean. In 1982 he became editor of Studio International. He wrote extensively and published 10 books and more than 60 articles. He was briefly in partnership with Nicholas Groves-Raines in about 1979. During his life he never settled in one place and shunned an office-based career. In the early 1990s he worked with the Finnish and Russian authorities on a restoration project of the Alvar Aalto Library. He was awarded a Finnish knighthood by the President of Finland. In the 1990s he was dignosed with cancer but defied expectations and lived for a further 18 years. He wrote extensively during the 1990s and taught architecture at the Duncan of Jordanstone College in Dundee where he was latterly a Professor. During his second year at Cambridge he had married Caroline Sedgwick-Rough (the couple later divorced) and they had three children. He later married the Australian writer and painter Janet McKenzie in 1986 and they had three children. He died on 28 March 2014, survived by his wife Janet and his six children. |
Employment and Training
Employers
| The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details): | |||||
| Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | |
 | Groves-Raines & Spens | 1979 | Partner | ||
Buildings and Designs
| This was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details): | |||||||
| Date started | Building name | Town, district or village | Island | City or county | Country | Notes | |
| 1972 | Cleish Castle | Kinross-shire | Scotland | Reconstruction | ||
| 1979 | Tenement block, Moncreiff Terrace | Edinburgh | Scotland | |||
| Late 1970s | Office building | Smdjuvesar | Reykjavik | |||
| Late 1970s | Scheme for Marshall Street | Edinburgh | Scotland | Rehibilitation | ||
| Late 1970s | Schemes for Edinburgh New Town Conservation Committee | Edinburgh | Scotland | Restoration schemes | ||
| Late 1970s | Scotland Street | Edinburgh | Scotland | Rehabilitation | ||
| Late 1970s | The Lees | Coldstream | Berwickshire | Scotland | ||
References
Bibliographic References
| The following books contain references to this : | ||||||
| Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | |
| Gifford, John, McWilliam, Colin and Walker, David M | 1984 | Edinburgh (The Buildings of Scotland) | Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd | p697 | |
Periodical References
| The following periodicals contain references to this : | |||||
| Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | |
| Scotsman | 7 May 2014 | p35 This contains much further information to Spns' activities outwith architecture. Written by Richard Demarco | ||