“Elegant, well mannered and never dull” – the Church Architecture of Richard Twentyman
Join the Coventry Society for a talk about one of the region’s best 20th Century Church architects.
Chris Kennedy and Aidan Ridyard
Richard Twentyman, (1903-1979) the brother of the sculptor Anthony Twentyman, was a successful West Midlands architect based in Wolverhampton, known particularly for the thirteen churches and chapels he designed between 1937 and 1973, including the remarkable example of St Nicholas, Radford, Coventry. In the talk based on our research into Twentyman’s life and career, we select a sample of his churches and the art within them to illustrate his distinctive architectural evolution from an early monumental phase, to more modernistic approaches and later innovative design. We suggest the British and European influences on his work and locate his architecture in the changing social, economic, and religious contexts of this period.
Chris Kennedy, a former Birmingham University professor in applied linguistics, subsequently developed his interests in design and architecture by gaining postgraduate qualifications in Design and Architectural History from Oxford University. He stumbled across a church designed by Twentyman and set out to find out more about him.
Aidan Ridyard is Managing Partner at Burrell Foley Fischer Ridyard Architects, a member of RIBA with Conservation Accreditation, with several notable public buildings to his name in UK and overseas. He welcomes the opportunity to talk again to Coventry Society members.
A chance meeting between Chris and Aidan at a meeting of the Twentieth Century Society revealed their shared interest in Twentyman (Aidan’s father was vicar at Twentyman’s All Saints Darlaston), resulting in a self-published book on Twentyman and his churches (available for purchase at richardtwentyman.com and at the talk).
Thursday 14th March 2024 at 7.30 p;m.
St. John the Baptist Church Hall, Fleet Street.
All Welcome, Free for members, £2 donation for visitors, including refreshments.
Read more about Richard Twentyman’s Churches and buy the book at https://www.richardtwentyman.com/