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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 music halls. He worked extensively in London, predominantly under Moss Empires for whom he designed the Hippodrome in 1900, Hackney Empire (1901), Shepherd's Bush Empire (1903), London Coliseum (1904), and London Palladium (1910). His last major commission before retirement was the Victoria Palace Theatre in 1911 for the variety magnate Alfred Butt. During his 40-year career, Matcham was responsible for the design and construction of over 90 theatres and the redesign and refurbishment of a further 80 throughout the United Kingdom.
Matcham was born in Newton Abbot, Devon, where he became apprenticed at the age of 14 to the architect George Soudon Bridgman. Matcham moved to London, aged 21, where he joined the architectural practice of J. T. Robinson, who was to become his father-in-law. Under Robinson, Matcham completed his first solo design, the The Coronet, which opened in June 1879. He took over the business on Robinson's death and continued the designs of various provincial theatres. He formed his own practice, Matcham & Co., in the 1880s and enlisted skilled craftsmen. His first major association came in the 1880s when he was employed to design and refurbish theatres belonging to the Revill family who owned many of the theatres throughout the United Kingdom.
Matcham's most successful period was between 1892 and 1912 when he worked extensively for Moss Empires, a theatre building business headed by Edward Moss and run by Oswald Stoll. Under them, Matcham completed 21 theatres, including three in London, with the rest being in the provinces. Also during this period, although not with Moss Empires, he completed the designs for the Tower Ballroom at Blackpool Tower, Grand Theatre, Blackpool, both in 1894, the County Arcade, Leeds, in 1900, and Buxton Opera House in 1903. The author Iain Mackintosh, writing for the Dictionary of National Biography in 1993, describes Matcham's theatre interiors to be superior when compared to the building's external designs. Matcham's use of for the galleries allowed him to discontinue the use of columns, which would otherwise obstruct the audience's view of the stage. The auditorium decorations were often mixed with Tudor strap-work, Louis XIV detail, Anglo-Indian motifs, naval and military insignia, rococo panels, classical statuary, and baroque columns.
Matcham retired to Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, shortly before the First World War, where he died of a heart attack, brought about by a blood infection, in 1920. His biographer Brian Walker notes from the architect's personal archives that he was "a man of remarkable vigour and had an enthusiasm for life ... he possessed a tranquility of mind and a great sense of humour and fun."Walker, p. 4.
Matcham showed an early interest in architecture and became apprenticed at the age of 14 to George Soudon Bridgman, a local architect.Walker, pp. 1–2. The apprenticeship lasted 18 months until Matcham was offered a job at a quantity surveyor's office in London in around 1868."Growing Up On The English Riviera" by Gorel Garlick; Wilmore, p. 40. Working in the capital allowed Matcham to study with different architectural professionals. His training under a quantity surveyor taught him how to draw up estimates of cost, interact with building contractors, and introduced him to complex calculations, something which he was unlikely to have been taught at school."Growing Up On The English Riviera" by Gorel Garlick; Wilmore, p. 42. He also learnt the importance of working to tight schedules imposed by demanding customers."Frank Matcham in Perspective" by Andrew Saint; Wilmore, p. 21.
In his spare time, Matcham visited many of London's buildings but took a particular liking to theatres and . A building of special interest to him was the newly completed Gaiety Theatre in the Strand, designed by Charles J. Phipps. Matcham was impressed at Phipps's ability to build a normal-sized theatre on a small, awkward plot, and it is probable that Matcham gained inspiration from the Gaiety in some of his later buildings which were also built on restricted plots of land. It is not known how long Matcham spent in London, although it was not uncommon for an architect to take up to six years to become qualified. The theatre historian Görel Garlick estimates that Matcham spent three years in the capital during this time, which would seem probable as by 1871 Matcham was back in Torquay and again under the guidance of Bridgeman, this time as his chief assistant. Bridgeman was eager to take advantage of Matcham's experience in London and asked him to help on the redesign of the Lyceum Theatre in Torquay. Torquay Directory, 12 April 1871, p. 4.
Isaac Singer, the American businessman, moved from France to Devon in late 1871. His intention was to buy a large property in the English countryside for his family. His attempt at buying Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Brunel Manor was unsuccessful and instead, he purchased the Fernham Estate, in Torbay, on which Oldway Mansion was eventually built."Tenders", The Builder, 1 March 1873, p. 176. Singer commissioned Bridgeman's office to undertake the design and instructed that a theatre be built within the house, long since demolished. Oldway Mansion, Historic England, accessed 7 July 2019. Garlick considers it entirely possible that Matcham was given responsibility for the design of the theatre because of his educational experiences in London. Singer spared no cost in terms of Oldway Mansion's construction; he sourced the finest materials from around the world and instructed Bridgeman to design the interior in an exuberant French style. Garlick notes that it was highly likely that Singer's exuberance would have influenced someone as architecturally impressionable as Matcham whose later theatres also used extravagant decoration."Growing Up On The English Riviera" by Gorel Garlick; Wilmore, pp. 44–49.
By the mid-1870s around 137 theatre fires had been reported in the United Kingdom which prompted parliament to create the Metropolis Management and Building Acts Amendment Act 1878 which established safety rules for developers to adhere to. Matcham found the rules to be problematic; because of them, the Elephant and Castle Theatre project had to be extended by six months.Walker, pp. 5–6.
In 1882 Matcham took on the redesign of the Grand Theatre, Islington. It was an important project for him: it was the first to be designed using unobstructed sightlines to the stage and was notable for its holding capacity, and prompt construction, something for which he latterly became known in architectural circles. The Grand was revolutionary in its design; it was used as an educational showpiece to amateur architects and it was often visited and commented on by architectural critics and journalists.Walker, p. 6. In one of the three volumes, entitled Modern Opera Houses and Theatres, which were published between 1896 and 1898, the author Edwin Sachs made reference to the Grand's "good sighting and acoustics of the auditorium, economy of space and cost, and rapidity of execution".Walker, pp. 6–7. Matcham's improvement of sightlines were a result of his use of cantilevered steel. This new design allowed for the balconies to protrude into the auditorium without the use of the supporting pillars which increased seating capacity and gave the audience better views of the stage. It was a design that Matcham patented and incorporated into all his future theatrical designs.Walker, p. 10.
The Paragon in Mile End, East London, in 1882, was Matcham's next major project. The design was one of importance, according to Walker, as it showed a great emphasis on the ventilation system—the first of its kind—which used a sun burner in the roof and warm air ducts, above ground level, which emitted draughts.Walker, p. 7. The builders of the theatre, Crowder and Payne, advertised the venue as being "the best-ventilated theatre in London".Walker, p. 68. It opened in May the following year to much praise for its achievements in audience comfort.Walker, p. 85. The success of the Paragon allowed Matcham to open up his own office in Belfast in 1884.
Matcham met the actor and theatrical manager James Elliston in 1886. Elliston, a native of Edinburgh, had heard of the architect through his work in Glasgow and commissioned him to reconstruct the side boxes and gallery and to improve the acoustics and ventilation system at his theatre, the Theatre Royal, Blackburn. Through Elliston, Matcham was introduced to William J. Revill, the proprietor of the People's Temperance Hall in Stockport."Matcham's Revills'" by Michael Sell; Wilmore, pp. 52–53. The Revill family were influential in theatrical circles with their connection to the stage going back to the 18th century."Matcham's Revills'" by Michael Sell; Wilmore, pp. 61–62.
Revill contracted Matcham to draw up designs for a new building after the hall was destroyed by a fire in 1887. The new building, as with most of the Revill family's theatres, was to be named the Theatre Royal and Opera House; it was completed to schedule the following year. The finished structure was considered to be state of the art by the town's magistrates who granted an entertainments licence that June. The Era considered the new building to be "undoubtedly one of the finest theatres in the country"."Stockport, Theatre Royal", The Era, 21 April 1888, p. 21. According to the biographer Michael Sell, Matcham's relationship with Elliston helped the young architect to become a nationally recognisable name in theatrical architecture and brought him to the forefront of his profession.
Matcham was commissioned in 1888 by Revill's son, the theatre manager Wallace Revill, to design a new theatre on land he had purchased in St Helens, Lancashire. The new theatre was named the Theatre Royal and Opera House. It was constructed of brick with stone dressings and comprised an orchestra pit, stalls, a dress circle of three rows, an upper circle, which had the unusual feature of its own retiring rooms, and a very large gallery which allowed for unobstructed views. The entrance façade was built in the classical style with three wide bays of giant ."Matcham's Revills'" by Michael Sell; Wilmore, p. 62. On the theatre's opening night the following year, Elliston called the building "one of the most beautiful theatres he had ever seen".Quote from Elliston; "Matcham's Revills'" by Michael Sell; Wilmore, p. 63.
In addition to the Stockport theatre under Revill, Matcham received another commission from Elliston, this time to rebuild the Theatre Royal and Opera House, in Bolton, which had caught fire on 4 January 1888. Elliston's only requirement was for the building to be completed within a 20-week period, which Matcham honoured. The foundation stone was laid by the actor Henry Irving on 17 October, a month before its opening. Owing to the large numbers of people who died in a similar theatre fire in Exeter the previous year, Matcham improved the safety features, such as fireproofing the ceilings and walls; widening and straightening the staircases; using outwardly opening doors; installing hydrants on each floor; and hanging an automatic, fireproof curtain in the auditorium."Matcham's Revills'" by Michael Sell; Wilmore, pp. 58–59. The interior was decorated in terracotta and gold tints and the seats covered in crimson upholstery."Matcham's Revills'" by Michael Sell; Wilmore, p. 60.
Other theatres followed for the Revill family who had by now employed Matcham full-time to work on their projects. Bury and Rochdale, then both in Lancashire, were to get their own Theatre Royal and Opera House with the Rochdale building being a renovation of an existing building. The Bury theatre opened on 26 December 1889 with a pantomime production. The theatre lacked interior decoration as Matcham had been behind schedule. He made a rare appearance, on stage, that night, and assured the audience that during a fortnight's closure he would complete the designs. To compensate for the lateness, he took the unusual step of sub-contracting the auditorium's artwork out to a London-based sculptor."Matcham's Revills'" by Michael Sell; Wilmore, pp. 65–67.
The following year Matcham was contracted by Frederick Purcell, a member of the extended Revill family,"Matcham's Revills'" by Michael Sell; Wilmore, p. 64. to undertake the renovations of his theatre that had caught fire the year before. Matcham was afforded the benefit of being able to use the existing building, which increased the possibility of his being able to finish the project on time."Matcham's Revills'" by Michael Sell; Wilmore, p. 69. The same year, The Grand Cirque and Amphitheatre opened in Bolton. Matcham's design allowed for it to be used as a circus and a theatre and for the venue to be changed between the two in a few hours. It was decorated in the Italian style and had the capacity to seat 3,200 people. The circus ring eventually fell out of favour with audiences and it was covered over."Matcham's Revills'" by Michael Sell; Wilmore, pp. 73–75.
Purcell took over the family business in 1899 after the death of four of its members but only commissioned a few buildings over the next decade, including the Alexandra Theatre, Stoke Newington."Matcham's Revills'" by Michael Sell; Wilmore, pp. 80–81. Matcham continued to work with Purcell until around 1908 when the latter decided to wind up the business."Matcham's Revills'" by Michael Sell; Wilmore, p. 89. Matcham's last design for the family, according to the historian Michael Sell, was the Kings Theatre, Southsea, in 1907."Matcham's Revills'" by Michael Sell; Wilmore, p. 88. The architecture historian Nikolaus Pevsner called the Kings Theatre "splendid" and described the theatre as having a "prominent hexagonal tower with Ionic columns and lion finials around a broad spire-like top crowned by a cupola with a replica statue of Aurora. The interior is charming and richly detailed, making full use of the tight space. Plaster figures and mouldings in Matcham's full-blown Baroque."O'Brien, Bailey, Pevsner and Lloyd (2018), pp. 531–532.
Stoll intended the Hackney Empire to be his London headquarters, but the plan changed midway through construction when he decided to locate his offices further into central London: this caused a drastic reduction in the Empire's budget to allow extra finances for the new headquarters at the Coliseum."The Matcham Office at Work" by John Earl; Wilmore, pp. 102–103. Matcham rushed together a secondary, cheaper design of the Empire's façade and presented it to Stoll on a piece of scrap tracing paper."The Matcham Office at Work" by John Earl; Wilmore, pp. 104–105. The exterior of the Empire was a design that Matcham always loathed but was one, according to the historian Michael Sell, that demonstrated the architect's "seemingly endless powers of invention" and one that will "forever remain a landmark"."The Matcham Office at Work" by John Earl; Wilmore, p. 105. The auditorium is noted by Historic England as being "one of the most exuberant Matcham interiors in Britain", "The Hackney Empire", Historic England, accessed 24 September 2017. while the historian Brian Walker called the Empire's interior "the most perfect Matcham interior in Greater London".Walker, p. 52. Pevsner considered the Empire to be "splendidly confident" and "among the best-surviving Edwardian variety theatres".Cherry and Pevsner (2002), p. 496.
For the Coliseum, Matcham encountered a problem; Stoll wanted the theatre to be the largest and most lavish in London.Barron, p. 368. History of the London Coliseum, English National Opera, accessed 16 June 2019. Matcham was concerned that the vast size would cause a reduction in sound quality and view to the stage; accordingly, he gave particular attention to the theatre's acoustics and designed the balconies so that they sloped towards the auditorium sides, rather than the more traditional method of being supported by ; Matcham pioneered the use of cantilevered steel in his designs, and took out patents to protect his work. The theatre featured a revolving stage, the first of its kind in London, which allowed for imaginative ideas, including the theatre's extravagant celebrations of Epsom Derby, featuring guesting jockeys riding real horses, galloping against the moving revolve. Backstage there were, according to Pevsner, "box-to-box telephones" and "changing rooms so that evening dress could be donned on site". The Coliseum cost £250,000 to build.Bradley and Pevsner (2003), p. 386.
Walker called it the "fruit of close collaboration and understanding between client and architect". He further noted: "Matcham's frequently noticed skill in planning is here matched by a different kind of wizardry. Few of his contemporaries could have made so memorable an architectural statement on so short a frontage in such an unpretentious thoroughfare. It is much more impressive than, for example, the neighbouring Garrick Theatre of 1889"Walker, p. 57. According to the theatrical magazine The Stage, Matcham's design provided "a handsome marble staircase, the landmark tower topped by a revolving globe and an impressive range of amenities, including spacious tea-rooms on each floor, lifts to the theatre's upper levels, lavishly decorated retiring rooms, a roof-garden with a glass-domed roof and an information bureau from which messages and telegrams could be sent and where doctors might register their whereabouts in case of emergencies".
The regeneration of Briggate in the 1890s, one of the oldest streets in Leeds, included the building of a number of shopping arcades to accompany the existing Thorntons Arcade, completed in 1878. Matcham designed the Cross and County Arcades for the Leeds Estate Company, between 1898 and 1900, at the northernmost part of the street. "Numbers 1–43 and Cross Arcade", Historic England, accessed 3 December 2017. At the same time as his work on the County Arcade, he designed the Empire Palace, for Moss, which was located further down Briggate.Walker, p. 161. He created two new streets, Queen Victoria Street and King Edward Street, which run between Briggate and Vicar Lane.Wrathmell, pp. 24, 159. Matcham's buildings include 49–51 Vicar Lane; 2–24 King Edward Street and 115–120 Briggate, which consists of shops and offices within the County Arcade development. 49 and 51, Vicar Lane; 2–24, King Edward Street; 115–120, Briggate, National Heritage List for England, Historic England, accessed 5 December 2017. The construction costs of the County Arcade were in excess of £300,000.Wilmore, pp. 202–203. According to Walker, Matcham's biographer, the architect took on the designs for the County Arcade either because of a decline in the need for new theatres, or an attempt to try out something different. Either way, Walker considered the project to be completely out of character for Matcham who had previously displayed such energy and enthusiasm for all his designs.Walker, pp. 17–18.
Together with a few public houses in London,Walker, p. 18. Matcham's other non-theatrical commissions include a new wing for the Royal Variety Artistes' Benevolent Fund at Brinsworth House History of Brinsworth House, Royal Variety Charity, accessed 12 June 2019. and a printing works in Southwark. "15, 16 and 17, Hatfields", Historic England, accessed 12 June 2019.
Matcham retired to Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex with his wife shortly before the First World WarWilmore, p. 138. and left the running of the business to Chancellor and Briggs. Matcham died at his house, 28 Westcliff Parade,"Mr Frank Matcham Dead", Western Daily Press, 19 May 1920, p.10. on 17 May 1920. His death was attributed to blood poisoning, brought about from cutting his finger nails too short. The Architects' Journal, 26 May 1920, p. 682. The funeral took place at St. Paul's Church, Finchley, before his interment in the family vaultDeath of Mr. Frank Matcham", The Era, 26 May 1920, p. 6. in Highgate Cemetery. "Who's Here", Highgate Cemetery, accessed 1 July 2016. He left an estate worth £86,389"An Architect's Estate", The Builder, 6 August 1920, p. 140. (£ in adjusted for inflation). Matcham bequeathed his company, equally, to Briggs and Chancellor. A journalist for The Architect newspaper predicted that the business would continue, which it did, although it never achieved the same success as it did under Matcham. Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Chancellor retired and moved to the countryside, where he died in 1941. Briggs held the business in a dormant state until after the war when it was sold to a property agency in Covent Garden. It continued, on a small scale, until it was eventually wound up in the late 1970s.
Of Matcham's eight siblings, two were notable: Charles Matcham (1862–1911) moved to America in 1881 and became a millionaire businessman within the civil engineering industry. His early work for the Bell Telephone Company"Charles Matcham Succumbs to Illness", The Morning Call, 23 September 1911, p. 5. included the building of the first telephone exchanges in Europe and the introduction of the telephone to St. Petersburg and Riga where he personally installed Alexander II of Russia's phone system."Charles Matcham Succumbs to Illness", The Morning Call, 23 September 1911, p. 6. Through his later work, he founded several concrete-making companies and invented a cement stone pulveriser for which he owned the patent. Sydney Matcham (1868–1957) moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he founded the Matcham Travel Bureau, the city's first travel agency."Allentown's First Travel Agent Dies", The Morning Call, 27 December 1957, p. 5.
The total number of theatres Matcham designed is unknown and has been the subject of much speculation. The architect Victor Glasstone estimated the architect's work to include 66 new theatres and the remodelling and restoration of 58 others, between 1879 and 1910;"King Kong versus Godzilla: The Competition for the Royal Opera House at The Hague, 1910–11" by Iain Mackintosh; Wilmore, p. 143. Matcham's biographer Brian Walker lists him ahead of his contemporaries and counts 92 designs,Walker, p. 94. with the closest to him being Charles J. Phipps, with 72. According to the theatre historians John Earl and Michael Sell, Matcham was the original architect for half of the 48 surviving theatres associated with him, and the rest he restored, altered or remodelled from existing buildings. A further 111 of his theatres were either bombed during the wars, destroyed by fire, or demolished as part of area regeneration, mostly during the 1960s.
From the start of the 1900s Crewe and W. G. R. Sprague had started to make names for themselves in architectural circles. It has been suggested by various architectural journals that Crewe and Sprague were pupils of Matcham, and although Glasstone was sceptical of this in his 1975 book Victorian and Edwardian Theatres, the author Iain Mackintosh noted a clear Matcham influence in Sprague and Crewe's designs; he describes the former as being suaver compared to Matcham, whilst Crewe, although sharing a lot of Matcham's exuberance, was "more polished" because of his earlier training in Paris. Sir Alfred Butt, writing in The Era, considered: "Frank Matcham lived for his work, and unquestionably was pre-eminent as a theatrical and music hall architect." According to the historians, Roger Dixon and Stefan Muthesius, Matcham was "the most consistent and prolific architect of the later music halls ... his buildings, mostly in the provinces and the suburbs of London, were equal or exceed in splendour compared the metropolitan theatres and opera houses."Dixon and Muthesius, p. 93.
On 22 November 2007 Matcham was commemorated by English Heritage when a blue plaque was unveiled at his former London home, 10 Haslemere Road, Hornsey, by the actors Timothy West and Prunella Scales. "Matcham, Frank (1854–1920)", English Heritage, accessed 13 June 2019."Frank Matcham plaque unveiling, Crouch End, London", The Stage, 29 November 2007, p. 55.
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