Charles John Phipps (25 March 1835 – 25 May 1897) was an English architect best known for his more than 50 theatres built in the latter half of the 19th century, including several important London theatres. He is also noted for his design of the Theatre Royal, Exeter, which caught fire in 1887, killing 186 theatregoers.

Biography

Born in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, Phipps married Honnor Hicks on 10 April 1860. The couple had two sons and three daughters. Phipps's first major work was the rebuilding of

Theatre Royal, Bath The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, was built in 1805. A Grade II* listed building, it has been described by the Theatres Trust as "One of the most important surviving examples of Georgian theatre architecture". It has a capacity for an audien ...

in 1862/3, after the old theatre had been destroyed by fire. Moving to London, he quickly established himself as the leading theatrical architect, building, in rapid succession, the Queen's Theatre (1867), the Gaiety Theatre (1868), the

Olympic Theatre The Olympic Theatre, sometimes known as the Royal Olympic Theatre, was a 19th-century London theatre, opened in 1806 and located at the junction of Drury Lane, Wych Street and Newcastle Street. The theatre specialised in comedies throughout ...

(1870) and the Vaudeville Theatre (1871). His early work, especially the Gaiety, inspired a young

Frank Matcham Francis Matcham (22 November 1854 – 17 May 1920)Mackintosh, Iain"Matcham, Frank" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, accessed 7 July 2019 was an English architect who specialised in the design o ...

, who was impressed at Phipps's ability to build a normal-sized theatre on a small, awkward plot. Phipps designed the

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin The Gaiety Theatre is a theatre on South King Street in Dublin, Ireland, off Grafton Street and close to St. Stephen's Green. It specialises in operatic and musical productions, with occasional dramatic shows. History In April 1871, the broth ...

for John and Michael Gunn, opened in November 1871. Phipps's

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy P ...

(1881), a state-of-the-art facility, was the first public building in the world lit entirely by electric light.Burgess, Michael. "Richard D'Oyly Carte", ''The Savoyard'', January 1975, pp. 7–11 Other major London theatres included the

Strand Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * Strand Street ...

(1882), the Prince's (1884), the Lyric (1888), the original

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. Opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, it was the last theatre to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue. History The theatre was ...

(1888), the

Garrick Garrick may refer to: * Garrick (name), for the name's origin and people with either the surname or given name, the most famous being: ** David Garrick (1717–1779), English actor * Garrick Club, a London gentlemen's club named in honour of David ...

(1889), the

Tivoli Tivoli may refer to: * Tivoli, Lazio, a town in Lazio, Italy, known for historic sites; the inspiration for other places named Tivoli Buildings * Tivoli (Baltimore, Maryland), a mansion built about 1855 * Tivoli Building (Cheyenne, Wyoming), ...

(1890), Daly's (1893) and

Her Majesty's Theatre Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established t ...

(1897). In addition to Phipps's London theatres, he was responsible for over forty theatres in the provinces. He also designed

Leinster Hall The Leinster Hall was a music or concert hall in Dublin, Ireland, built in Hawkins Street on the site of the third Theatre Royal, after the Royal had been destroyed by fire in 1880. The Leinster Hall opened in November 1886.Ryan, Philip B.: ''The ...

in Dublin for Michael Gunn (opened in 1886 and closed in 1895), the Star and Garter Hotel at Richmond (demolished in 1919) and the Savoy Turkish Bath. Phipps was chosen to design the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three supp ...

’ own premises at

9 Conduit Street Sketch is a restaurant at 9 Conduit Street, Mayfair, London, England, which opened in 2003. The restaurant is owned by Mourad Mazouz, and the head chef is Pierre Gagnaire. The cuisine is described as ' New French', and is a loose adaptation of ...

. The building is still there, though no longer occupied by the RIBA (now in

Portland Place Portland Place is a street in the Marylebone district of central London. Named after the Third Duke of Portland, the unusually wide street is home to BBC Broadcasting House, the Chinese and Polish embassies, the Royal Institute of British ...

) and is considered by some to reflect the influence of the architect's native town. He was a fellow (1866) of the Royal Institute of British Architects, serving on its council in 1875–6, and also of the Society of Antiquaries. Family grave of Charles J Phipps in Highgate Cemetery

Family grave of Charles J Phipps in Highgate Cemetery

Phipps died on 25 May 1897, aged 62, and is buried in a family grave on the east side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

Blame for deaths at Exeter fire

Phipps designed the Theatre Royal, Exeter, which opened in 1886. In 1887, during a performance, a gauze curtain caught fire from a gas lamp lighting the stage. The resulting fire claimed the lives of 186 theatregoers and remains the worst theatre-related disaster, and third most deadly fire in UK history. There were two inquiries into the disaster, both of which placed significant blame on Phipps: A coroner's

inquest An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person's death. Conducted by a judge, jury, or government official, an inquest may or may not require an autopsy carried out by a c ...

was opened on 21 September 1887 before a

coroner's jury A coroner's jury is a body convened to assist a coroner in an inquest, that is, in determining the identity of a deceased person and the cause of death. The laws on its role and function vary by jurisdiction. United Kingdom In England and Wal ...

. The magistrates who issued the premises licence had noted only a single exit from the gallery (where the majority of the deaths occurred) where there should have been two, but Phipps persuaded them that people climbing the railing at the front of the balcony and dropping to the Upper Circle below was a suitable and effective second exit. The verdict was of accidental death, but the coroner's jury found that the magistrates had been misled by Phipps and suggested that a licence should never have been issued. The coroner's jury noted that a safety curtain and

fire hydrant A fire hydrant, waterplug, or firecock (archaic) is a connection point by which firefighters can tap into a water supply. It is a component of active fire protection. Underground fire hydrants have been used in Europe and Asia since at least t ...

were specified in the theatre's plans, but had not yet been installed in the building. They also criticised the lack of ceiling height above the gallery, which gave people less time to escape before being overcome by smoke. A separate parliamentary inquiry was carried out by Captain

Eyre Massey Shaw Captain Sir Eyre Massey Shaw KCB (17 January 1830 – 25 August 1908) was the first Chief Officer of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (now renamed the London Fire Brigade), and the Superintendent of its predecessor, the London Fire Engine Establis ...

, the Chief Officer of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. Shaw's report was also critical of Phipps and his design. Phipps attended the inquest and was "vigorous" and "sarcastic" in his defence of his work, pointing out that a number of elements in his plans had been changed or ignored during construction. The jury in this case also returned a verdict of accidental death. Ultimately, Shaw was able to use the results of the fire to bring about stricter theatre regulations, including the requirement for a safety curtain.

Theatres

Among the theatres Phipps designed, or co-designed, are: *

(1862/3) *

Theatre Royal, Nottingham The Theatre Royal in Nottingham, England, is a theatre venue in the heart of Nottingham City Centre and is owned by Nottingham City Council as part of a complex that also includes the city's Royal Concert Hall. The Theatre Royal attracts major ...

(1865) *

Theatre Royal, Brighton The Theatre Royal, Brighton is a theatre in Brighton, England presenting a range of West End and touring musicals and plays, along with performances of opera and ballet. History In 1806 the Prince of Wales (later George IV) gave Royal Assent fo ...

(1866) * Queen's Theatre, Long Acre (1867) *

Prince's Theatre, Bristol The Prince's Theatre was a theatre on Park Row in Bristol in England which was built in 1867 and was destroyed by bombing in 1940 in the Bristol Blitz during World War II. Owned by members of the Chute family for most of its existence, at one tim ...

(1867) *

Gaiety Theatre, London The Gaiety Theatre was a West End theatre in London, located on Aldwych at the eastern end of the Strand. The theatre was first established as the Strand Musick Hall in 1864 on the former site of the Lyceum Theatre. In 1868, it became known ...

(1868) *

(1870) * Varieties Music Hall,

Hoxton Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, England. As a part of Shoreditch, it is often considered to be part of the East End – the historic core of wider East London. It was historically in the county of Middlesex until 1889. It l ...

(1870), demolished c. 1980 * Vaudeville Theatre, London (1871) *

(1871) *

Tivoli Theatre, Aberdeen The Tivoli Theatre is a theatre in Aberdeen, Scotland, opened in 1872 as Her Majesty's Theatre and was built by the ''Aberdeen Theatre and Opera House Company Ltd'', under architects James Matthews of Aberdeen and Charles J. Phipps, a London-bas ...

(1872) * Theatre Royal, Glasgow (1880 and 1895), the largest surviving example of his work * Theatre Royal, Belfast (1881), demolished 1961 *

, London (1881), rebuilt 1929 * Royal Strand Theatre (1882) demolished 1905 *

Royal Lyceum Theatre The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a 658-seat theatre in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, named after the Theatre Royal Lyceum and English Opera House, the residence at the time of legendary Shakespearean actor Henry Irving. It was built in 1883 by a ...

, Edinburgh (1883) * Royal Hippodrome Theatre (originally Theatre Royal and Opera House), Eastbourne (1883) * Prince's Theatre, London (1884) also known as the Prince of Wales Theatre; demolished 1934Earl and Sell (2000) pp. 133 * Royal Theatre, Northampton (1884) * Theatre Royal, Portsmouth (1884) * Theatre Royal, Exeter (1886) * Lyric Theatre, London (1888) *

Original Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre was a theatre in central London, England, between 1888 and 1941. It was built by John Lancaster for his wife, Ellen Wallis, a well-known Shakespearean actress. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps and built by Mess ...

(1888) *

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ' ...

, London, with Walter Emden (1889) *

Tivoli Theatre of Varieties The Tivoli Theatre of Varieties was a popular English theatre based in the Strand, West London. It was designed by Charles Phipps and was built during 1889–90 at a cost of £300,000. It was constructed on the former site of the Tivoli Beer ...

, London (1890), demolished 1957 *

Queen's Hall The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect Thomas Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. Fro ...

(1893), preliminary designs only, bombed in 1941 *

Daly's Theatre Daly's Theatre was a theatre in the City of Westminster. It was located at 2 Cranbourn Street, just off Leicester Square. It opened on 27 June 1893, and was demolished in 1937. The theatre was built for and named after the American impresar ...

(1893), demolished *

Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton The Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, commonly known as The Grand, is a theatre located on Lichfield Street, Wolverhampton, UK, designed in 1894 by Architect Charles J. Phipps. It is a Grade II Listed Building with a seating capacity of 1200. 189 ...

(1894) *

Toole's Theatre Toole's Theatre, was a 19th-century West End theatre, West End building in William IV Street, near Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster. A succession of auditoria had occupied the site since 1832, serving a variety of functions, including ...

(1895), never built *

, London (1897)

Gallery of architectural work

File:HerMajestysTheatre.png, Her Majesty's Theatre, London (1897) File:Royal Theatre, Derngate, Northampton.jpg, Royal Theatre, Northampton

References

;Attribution

Sources

*''Guide to British Theatres 1750–1950'', John Earl and Michael Sell pp. 279–82 (Theatres Trust, 2000) *

External links

University of Bristol Theatre Collection

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phipps, C. J. English theatre architects 1835 births 1897 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery Architects from Bath, Somerset * 19th-century English architects