Assessment
Lord St John of Fawsley remarked that "Basil Spence's barracks in Hyde Park ruined that park; in fact, he has the distinction of having ruined two parks, because of his Home Office building (50 Queen Anne's Gate), which towers above St. James's Park."
Spence has been compared to Robert Adam for his attention to detail, particularly in incorporating bespoke furniture and other elements into interior spaces.
In 2006 he was the subject of a BBC Scotland documentary, Rebuilding Basil Spence, which revised his place in 20th Century British architecture and asked why he had been for so long overlooked. In 1993 Spence's Hutchesontown C complex was listed by the international conservation organisation DoCoMoMo as one of Scotland's sixty key monuments of the post-war years; ironically the same year as it was demolished.
In August 2010 English Heritage recommended that the Spence-designed Sydenham School be given Grade II listed status: the building was due to be demolished to make way for a new modern building.
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