Stephen Dykes Bower

Stephen Ernest Dykes Bower (1903-1994) was a British church architect and Gothic Revival designer best known for his work at Westminster Abbey.

Dykes Bower was born in Gloucester as one of four brothers, one of whom would become Sir John Dykes Bower, the organist at St Paul's Cathedral. Stephen was educated at Oxford and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. As an architect he was a devoted and determined champion of the Gothic Revival style through its most unpopular years.

From 1951 through 1973, Dykes Bower was the official "Surveyor of the Fabric" for Westminster Abbey, restoring, repairing, and maintaining the interior.

Major work includes:

* the 1950 organ case at Norwich Cathedral
* co-designer of the 1958 apse at St Paul's Cathedral
* the rose window of College Chapel, Lancing College
* the postwar restoration of Sir Christopher Wren's St Vedast Foster Lane
* from 1960, the rebuilding of the chancel and the creation of transepts and side chapels, at St. Edmundsbury Cathedral
* architectural work for colleges at Oxford and Cambridge

External links

* [http://www.neverpaintagain.co.uk/article/gothic-architecture-without-marilyn-manson online article on the architect's relationship with St. Edmundsbury Cathedral]