Charles John Phipps (25 March 1835 – 25 May 1897) was an English architect known for more than 50 theatres he designed in the latter half of the 19th century, including several important ones in London. He is noted for his design of the

Theatre Royal, Exeter The Theatre Royal, Exeter was the name of several theatres situated in the city centre of Exeter, Devon, England in the United Kingdom. Early theatres and fires The name "Theatre Royal" was first applied in Exeter by the mid-1830s to what ha ...

, which caught fire in 1887, killing 186 visitors.

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 Olympic Theater or Olympic Theatre may refer to: * Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Australia, formerly Coppin's Olympic Theatre * National Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, converted to and renamed Olympic Theater in 1873 * Olympic Theatre (London), En ...

(1870) and the

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. Opening in 1870, the theatre staged mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. The theatre was rebuilt twice, although each new buildin ...

(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 of theatres and ...

, 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 ...

(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 or The 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 * ...

(1882), the Prince's (1884), the

Lyric Lyric may refer to: * Lyrics, the words, often in verse form, which are sung, usually to a melody, and constitute the semantic content of a song * Lyric poetry is a form of poetry that expresses a subjective, personal point of view * Lyric, from t ...

(1888), the original

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. It opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, with a capacity of 2,500. The current capacity is 1,416. The title "Shaftesbury Theat ...

(1888), the

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

(1889), the Tivoli (1890), Daly's (1893) and

Her Majesty's Theatre His Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated in the Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The building, designed by Charles J. Phipps, was constructed in 1897 for the actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who ...

(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

Victorian Turkish baths The Victorian Turkish bath is a type of bath in which the bather sweats freely in hot dry air, is then washed, often massaged, and has a cold wash or shower. It can also mean, especially when used in the plural, an establishment where such a bath ...

, the first in London to be lit by electricity. 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 suppl ...

’ own premises at

9 Conduit Street Sketch is a restaurant at 9 Conduit Street in 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 o ...

. 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 3rd Duke of Portland, the unusually wide street is home to the BBC's headquarters Broadcasting House, the Chinese and Polish embassies, the Royal Insti ...

) 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. 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, designed by architect Stephen Geary. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East sides. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for so ...

Blame for deaths at Exeter fire

Phipps designed the

, 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 visitors 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 cor ...

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 Wa ...

. 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 A safety curtain (or fire curtain in America) is a passive fire protection feature used in large proscenium Theater (structure), theatres. It is usually a heavy fabric curtain located immediately behind the proscenium arch. Asbestos-based mate ...

and

fire hydrant A fire hydrant, fireplug, firecock (archaic), hydrant riser or Johnny Pump 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 a ...

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 Establi ...

, 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

Family grave of Charles J Phipps in Highgate Cemetery

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 maj ...

(1865) *

Theatre Royal, Brighton The Theatre Royal is a theatre in Brighton, East Sussex, 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 Assen ...

(1866) *

Queen's Theatre, Long Acre The Queen's Theatre was a London theatre established in 1867 on the site of St Martin's Hall, a large concert room that had opened in 1850. It stood on the corner of Long Acre (formerly Charles Street) and Endell Street, with entrances in Wilso ...

(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 The Blitz, bombing in 1940 in the Bristol Blitz during World War II. Owned by members of the Chute family for most of its existence, ...

(1867) *

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

(1868) *

(1870) * Varieties Music Hall,

Hoxton Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, England. It was Historic counties of England, historically in the county of Middlesex until 1889. Hoxton lies north-east of the City of London, is considered to be a part of London's East End ...

(1870), demolished c. 1980 *

, 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-b ...

(1872) *

Sadler's Wells Theatre Sadler's Wells Theatre is a London performing arts venue, located in Rosebery Avenue, Islington. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site. Sadler's Wells grew out of a late 17th-century pleasure garden and was opened as a theatre buil ...

, London (1879, completely rebuilt in 1931) *

Theatre Royal, Glasgow The Theatre Royal is the oldest theatre in Glasgow and the longest running in Scotland. Located at 282 Hope Street, its front door was originally round the corner in Cowcaddens Street. It currently accommodates 1,541 people and is owned by Scott ...

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

, London (1881), rebuilt 1929 *

Royal Strand Theatre The Royal Strand Theatre was located in the Strand in the City of Westminster. The theatre was built on the site of a panorama in 1832, and in 1882 was rebuilt by the prolific theatre architect Charles J. Phipps. It was demolished in 1905 to ...

(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 The Royal Hippodrome Theatre is a theatre in Eastbourne which dates back to 1883, making it the oldest theatre in the town. It was designed and built for the theatre manager and impresario George Beaumont Loveday by the eminent theatre architec ...

(originally Theatre Royal and Opera House), Eastbourne (1883) * Prince's Theatre, London (1884) also known as the

Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

; demolished 1934Earl and Sell (2000) pp. 133 * Royal Theatre, Northampton (1884) *

Theatre Royal, Portsmouth The New Theatre Royal is a Victorian Grade II* listed theatre in the heart of Portsmouth, England,Theatre Royal, Exeter The Theatre Royal, Exeter was the name of several theatres situated in the city centre of Exeter, Devon, England in the United Kingdom. Early theatres and fires The name "Theatre Royal" was first applied in Exeter by the mid-1830s to what ha ...

(1886), burnt down in the same year * 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 Messr ...

(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 Walter Lawrence Emden (1847 – 1913) was one of the leading English theatre and music hall architects in the building boom of 1885 to 1915. Biography Emden was the second son of William S. Emden, lessee of London's Olympic Theatre, and wa ...

(1889) *

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

, 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 impresa ...

(1893), demolished *

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

(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 The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...

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