Architects

Name:

Robert Alexander Briggs

Designation :

Engineer

Date of Birth:

Exact Date

Exact DOB:

24/04/1868

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Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

15/12/1963

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Bio Notes :

Robert Alexander Briggs was born on 24 April 1868 in Southwark, Surrey and was educated in London. At the age of 15 he was shocked by the loss of life in a disaster at the Victoria Hall, Sunderland and wanted to devise something which would prevent such things from happening. He was articled from 1883 to 1885 to Borough Engineer and Surveyor G B Jerram of Walthamstow Local Board which had responsibility for the sewage system. He was retained as Assistant Engineer and Surveyor to the Council until c. 1888 when he joined as his Engineer
the practice of the theatre specialist Frank Matcham.

Briggs' first jobs for Matcham were in Lancashire, and he probably worked on the majority of the buildings designed and constructed by Matcham (q.v.)

Briggs moved to Edinburgh to work on the Empire Palace Theatre, Nicholson Street with Matcham, and his address at that time is recorded as 31 Nicolson Street, presumably the site office adjacent to the theatre. Whilst in Edinburgh he completed the task he had set himself of inventing a door bolt which would allow easy egress in event of an emergency but which would be secure from the outside. A patent for this was accepted 13 August 1892. The theatre was opened on 7 November 1892 and was the first in which the bolt was fitted. In 1911 there was a fire at the theatre, and although there were some fatalities backstage, between 2,000 and 3,000 members of the audience escaped unscathed.

Briggs was proposed for Associate Membership of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in 1902 by Henry Horwood Jennins. The Proposal form states that he 'designed and supervised the whole of the mechanical work, Hydraulic engineering etc of the Hippodrome, London' and and was ''Patentee and Inventor of the Briggs Patent panic bolt.'

He continued to work with Matcham, reputedly jointly taking out a patent for cantilever balconies used in the Coliseum, London, which opened in 1904.

He was a prolific inventor and model maker, including building a 10.25” gauge locomotive in 1908 which is still in steam at Chichester, Sussex (2008) near to his home. He ran this engine round his garden in Bognor to amuse children, last driving it at the age of 88. The Briggs Boiler is used in miniature locomotives today.

Briggs died on 15 December 1963.

Bio Notes continued...

Additional Notes

The following private or business addresses are associated with this person:

Private Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Notes
The Acacias Barham Road Croydon Surrey England	Private
39 King Street North Meols, Southport England	Private	As lodger
41 Marchmont Crescent Edinburgh Scotland	Private
50 Mattison Road Hornsea England	Private
Ivy Dene St Albans Kent England	Private
Wayside Shripney, Bognor Sussex England	Private

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Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From
75 Great Dover Street Southwark London England	Business	1868
28 East Street Horncastle Lincolnshire England	Business	1871
31 Nicolson Street Edinburgh Scotland	Business	1892
91-93 Warwick Court Holborn London England	Business	1902

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The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this person (click on an item to view details):

Employers2 classic

Name	Name Link	Date From	Date To	Position	Notes
Frank Matcham	100050			Engineer

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This person was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):

Buildings and Designs2 classic

Building Name	Date Started	Town, District or Village	Island	City or County	Country	Notes
Empire Palace Theatre	In year 1892			Edinburgh	Scotland	With Frank Matcham

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The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical Name	Date Circ	Edition	Notes
Bognor Post	1950/12/02		pp9, 13
Scale Model Trains	1988/06	v.6, no 10	p260
Sussex Life	1988/07		p38

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The following archives hold material relating to this person:

Arc ref classic

Archive Name	Source	Source Cat No	Building Id	Item Name	Notes
Information via website	Information courtesy of Patricia Lovell	200892			Information and biographical note courtesy of Patricia Lovell.
UK Intellectual Property Office	http://www.ipo.gov.uk/	200897		GB18871/1891

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Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

Employment and Training

Employers2 classic

Buildings and Designs

Buildings and Designs2 classic

References

Periodical References

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Archive References

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