Robert Potter (architect)

Robert James Potter OBE (6 October 1909 – 30 November 2010) was an English architect who was noted for his work on church buildings.[1][2][3]

Robert Potter
Born	(1909-10-06)6 October 1909 Guildford, Surrey
Died	30 November 2010(2010-11-30) (aged 101)
Nationality	English
Alma mater	Regent Street Polytechnic
Occupation	Architect
Awards	OBE
Practice	Brandt, Potter, Hare
Buildings	St Francis Church Salisbury, Church of the Ascension, Crownhill, South Stoneham Tower
Projects	Chichester Cathedral, Bodleian Library, St Stephen Walbrook, All Souls Church, Langham Place, St Paul's Cathedral, St Peter Mancroft

Early life and education

Potter was born in Guildford, Surrey to Jack Potter, an engraver who worked on printing blocks for Bank of England bank notes, and his wife Florence.[1] After school he studied Architecture at the Regent Street Polytechnic.[1]

Career

Potter moved to Salisbury in 1935 aged 26, establishing an architectural practice there. Within three years he was commissioned to design St Francis Church in the city, which has subsequently become a listed building. In the Second World War he served the Royal Engineers in northern India where he was involved in constructing road and rail networks to enable troop movements to the war in the Far East. He attained the rank of lieutenant-colonel during his wartime service.[1]

After the war he returned to Salisbury and began a professional partnership with William Randoll Blacking, who had studied under Sir Ninian Comper and was known for his design and conservation work on ecclesiastical buildings. Their partnership lasted 11 years, after which Potter established his own firm with a new partner, Richard Hare, based in De Vaux House in Salisbury.[1]

Potter's designs included military and residential buildings (such as the extensive extension to South Stoneham House in Southampton) but his primary focus was on church architecture; in 1958 his Church of the Ascension, Crownhill in Plymouth was consecrated and in 1959 he started work on St George's, in Oakdale, Poole. Potter's practice expanded in 1967, being renamed the Brandt, Potter, Hare Partnership and opening an office in Southampton.[1]

Potter's work was not purely focussed on new builds, he was involved in substantial renovation works to a number of well known buildings including Chichester Cathedral, Oxford's Bodleian Library, St Peter Mancroft (the largest church building in Norwich other than the city's cathedrals) and St Stephen Walbrook, All Souls Church, Langham Place and St Paul's Cathedral, all in central London.[1] He became well known for creating community rooms under the foundations of ancient church buildings and earned the nickname "The Mole" as a result.[2] In addition to his work on the buildings themselves, Potter was noted for his designs of fixtures and fittings including organs, crosses, candlesticks and fonts.[2]

From 1978 to 1984, he was Surveyor of the Fabric of St Paul's Cathedral.

In 1989 Potter's designs were used to extend the St Edward the Confessor Roman Catholic Church in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, the original building of which had been designed by Potter's first professional partner, William Randoll Blacking.[4]

Potter was awarded the OBE in 1993.[1]

Personal life

Potter married his first wife, Geraldine Buchanan, when he moved to Salisbury in 1935. They had three children together but divorced in the early 1960s. He married again to Margaret and had two step children. He enjoyed watercolour painting and sailing, having obtained a master mariner's certificate.[1]

Notable works

The notable buildings that Potter designed or worked on include:

Year	Building	Image	Location	Potter's role	Building status
1938	St Francis Church Salisbury[1]		Salisbury, Wiltshire	Architect	Grade II listed
1955–1977	Chichester Cathedral[1]		Chichester, West Sussex	Assisted with renovation; established masons' workshop	Grade I listed
1958	Church of the Ascension, Crownhill[1]		Crownhill, Plymouth, Devon	Architect	Grade II listed[5]
1960	St George's Church[1]		Oakdale, Poole, Dorset	Architect	Grade II listed[6]
1960s	St Peter Mancroft[3]		Norwich, Norfolk	Architect (roof replacement)	Grade I listed[7]
1964	South Stoneham House[8]		Swaythling, Southampton	Architect of major extension including 17-storey tower block	Grade II* listed
1967	All Saints Clifton[9]		Clifton, Bristol	Architect (rebuilding)	Grade II listed[10]
1970s	St Paul's Cathedral[1]		City of London, London	Surveyor to the Fabric	Grade I listed
1976	Lincoln College Library (formerly All Saints Church)[11]		Oxford, Oxfordshire	Conversion of church building into library	Grade I listed
1988	St Andrew's Church, Goldsworth Park[12]		Goldsworth Park, Woking, Surrey	Architect	–
1989	Church of St Edward the Confessor, Chandler's Ford[4]		Chandler's Ford, Hampshire	Architect (extension)
Unknown	Bodleian Library[1]		Oxford, Oxfordshire	Architect (structural reinforcements)	Grade I listed
Unknown	St Stephen Walbrook[1]		City of London, London	Architect (renovations/repairs)	Grade I listed
Unknown	All Souls Church, Langham Place[1]		Marylebone, London	Architect (renovations/repairs)	Grade I listed[13]
Unknown	St Matthew's Church, Bridgemary[14]		Bridgemary, Gosport, Hampshire	Architect (with Richard Hare)

References

1. "Robert Potter (obituary)". Daily Telegraph. 10 December 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
2. "Robert Potter: church architect". The Times. 11 January 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
3. Pollitt, Michael (5 January 2011). "Robert Potter: Gave new lease of life to Norwich medieval church". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
4. "ST EDWARD THE CONFESSOR – CHANDLERS FORD". Taking Stock. English Heritage. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
5. "Church of the Ascension, Plymouth". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
6. Historic England (25 September 1998). "CHURCH OF ST GEORGE, Poole (1376602)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
7. "Church of St Peter Mancroft, Norwich". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
8. "Extensions to a hall of residence, University of Southampton" (PDF). Concrete Quarterly (60): 14–16. January–March 1964. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
9. "All Saints Clifton – History". Retrieved 19 June 2013.
10. Historic England. "CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS (1208704)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
11. "Lincoln College Library". The High. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
12. "Goldsworth Park: St Andrew, Goldsworth Park". A Church Near You website. Archbishops' Council. 2015. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
13. "Church of All Souls, Langham Place, Westminster". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
14. O'Brien, Charles; Bailey, Bruce; Pevsner, Nikolaus; Lloyd, David W. (2018). Hampshire: South. The Buildings of England. London: Yale University Press. p. 310. ISBN 978-0-300-22503-7.