Stephen Ernest Dykes Bower (1903–1994) was a British

British people

The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...

 church architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

 and Gothic Revival designer best known for his work at Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey

The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...

.

Early life and education

Dykes Bower was born in Gloucester as one of four brothers, one of whom would become Sir John Dykes Bower

John Dykes Bower

Sir John Dykes Bower CVO was an English cathedral organist, who served in Truro Cathedral, Durham Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral-Background:John Dykes Bower was born on 13 August 1905 in Gloucester. He was one of four brothers...

, the organist at St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...

. Stephen was educated at Oxford and the Architectural Association School of Architecture

Architectural Association School of Architecture

The Architectural Association School of Architecture, more usually known as the AA, is an architectural school in London, United Kingdom...

 in London. As an architect he was a devoted and determined champion of the Gothic Revival style through its most unpopular years.

Surveyor of the Fabric

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

Major works

• the church of All Saints', Hockerill, Hertfordshire (1937)
• the church of the Holy Spirit, Southsea, Hampshire (1958 rebuild)
• the 1950 organ case at Norwich Cathedral
  Norwich Cathedral
  Norwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation....
  
  
• co-designer of the 1958 apse at St Paul's Cathedral
  St Paul's Cathedral
  St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
  
  
• the rose window
  Rose window
  A Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...
  
   of College Chapel, Lancing College
  Lancing College
  Lancing College is a co-educational English independent school in the British public school tradition, founded in 1848 by Nathaniel Woodard. Woodard's aim was to provide education "based on sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith." Lancing was the first of a...
  
  
• the postwar restoration of Sir Christopher Wren's St Vedast Foster Lane
  St Vedast Foster Lane
  Saint Vedast-alias-Foster, a church in Foster Lane, in the City of London, is dedicated to Vedast , a French saint whose cult came to England through contacts with Augustinian clergy.-History:...
  
  
• the Priory and Parish Church of St Nicholas Great Yarmouth (1961 rebuild)
• 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
• St John the Evangelist Church
  St John the Evangelist Church, Newbury
  St John the Evangelist Church is the parish church in the town of Newbury in the English county of Berkshire.- History :In 1859 the parish of Saint John was founded and in 1860 was consecrated by the Bishop of Oxford...
  
   in Newbury
  Newbury, Berkshire
  Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
  
  

In his will he left £2 million towards the building of a tower for St Edmundsbury Cathedral.