Ken Shuttleworth to give 2013 Wren Talk

Renowned architect Ken Shuttleworth is to give this year’s Wren Talk, an annual event to celebrate the life and works of Sir Christopher Wren. The Talk was founded in 2012 and held as part of the Inspire! Appeal to save St Bride’s Church, in which it is held.

Shuttleworth, who is particularly known for working in and around the City of London, will consider how Wren might view the City if he were alive today, balancing a likely protectiveness over his churches with an evident broader vision and understanding of situation and context.

The annual lecture series is the brainchild of Design Council Cabe Chairman Paul Finch, who believes it will fill a gaping hole in the cultural calendar. He commented:

“We are delighted to have Ken Shuttleworth delivering this year’s Wren Talk, following the huge success of last year’s inaugural event. Ken will inevitably bring a different perspective from that of Sir Terry Farrell who gave last year’s talk, but the strength of Wren’s contribution is that it provokes conversation and debate from all sides.”

Ken Shuttleworth added: “I think Wren would largely be impressed with the City of London today. He wasn’t a formulaic architect; he brought an unusual combination of imagination and rigour into the process and was able to see beyond the brief itself. Like many of the buildings that distinguish the City today, Wren understood how to deliver a building which would serve its purpose both for its users and for the City itself.”