Arthur Philpot engaged passionately with many facets of life and described himself as a ‘Christian, humanitarian, architect, teacher and mentor in design, invention and presentation’, a view endorsed by his peers (Cheesman Collection; Chappel, 1984:16).
Arthur Alfred Philpot was born 16 December 1915 at Toodyay, in the district of Northam, Western Australia, to newly arrived English emigrants, Ernest Sidney and Annie Eliza (née Hutchings) Philpot (Page: 204; One Great Family). In 1936, at the age of 21, Philpot was indentured to the Western Australian architectural firm of Eales, Cohan and Fitzhardinge for a period of four years. J. Herbert Eales was one of the founders of the Western Australian Institute of Architects and its Board of Education, and was, according to Philpot, ‘considered by many to be the doyen of architecture in that state’. Fitzhardinge, too, was well known throughout the profession. In 1940, Philpot sat for the Board examination for the ten prescribed subjects, gaining five passes and a credit in design. World War Two delayed the completion of his examinations. He moved to South Australia in 1941 and finally completed the remaining four subjects under the supervision of Louis Laybourne Smith in 1944 (Philpot Collection S354).
Philpot had come to South Australia in the reserved occupation of architect for the Commonwealth Department of Works. He was involved in munition factory design and supervision at the complex being built at Salisbury, remaining with the Department until 1947 (Page: 192, 204).
On February 4, 1943, Philpot married Fanny Olive Thorpe, niece and adopted daughter of Mr and Mrs W. Trowse of Tusmore, at Scots Church, Adelaide (Advertiser 1943: 6). They had two children, Christopher (Ross) and Joy. Jack Cheesman, a fellow architect and colleague, recalled that ‘he [Philpot], his wife and two children, were stricken with polio. This developed in him some amazingly creative activities which could be classified as self-developed occupational therapy’ (Cheesman Collection).
Philpot worked in the same office as Jack Cheesman for four years and became a partner with Evans, Bruer & Partners in 1947, the same year in which he became an Associate of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA). He later became an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1953, and a Fellow of the RAIA in 1970. In 1953, the practice, then known as Evans and Bruer, Philpot & Partners (although Evans had died in 1948), took on Eric von Schramek, Christopher Bruer and Robert Dawes (‘Public Notices’, 1953). It was during this time in the 1950s that Philpot undertook ecclesiastical commissions for which he is best remembered: Ernabella Presbyterian (1952), Clearview Presbyterian (1954), Tusmore Presbyterian (1956, later Tusmore Park Uniting) and most notably, The John Flynn Memorial Church in Alice Springs (1956).
The church at Ernabella was constructed from cement bricks made on site, with much of the work being carried out by the Anangu residents. It fell into disrepair in the 1990s. In July 2001 the church, manse and the old hospital were listed on the State Heritage Register due to their association with the Presbyterian Church of Australia’s Ernabella Mission, one of the few missions to nurture and support Aboriginal people and culture. The church was restored and reopened on 27 March 2010. (Pukatja: restoration of old church building; Heritage Places Database; Celebrating History: Ernabella Mission).
Arthur Philpot was asked to design The John Flynn Memorial Church to specifically reflect the life and achievements of John Flynn, a Presbyterian minister and one of the founders of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The foundation stone was laid by the Prime Minister, Mr. R.G. Menzies, on 26 June 1954 and was opened by the Governor-General and dedicated by the Moderator General of the Presbyterian Church in Australia on 5 May 1956. Constructed of pink and white marble and red sandstone sourced from Central Australia, it was ‘intended to interpret and express history, the history of Flynn and the Inland; to speak of Flynn, with a message not only for the worshipper, for every inlander, for tourist and townsman alike’ (Philpot, 1956: 6). The wide ranging symbolism was embedded in a structure responsive to the climate and environment of Alice Springs. The church is listed on the Northern Territory Government’s Heritage Register.
From 1957 to 1959, Philpot worked as a salaried architect with the London firm of Beard Bennett & Wilkins. Upon his return to Adelaide he became a lecturer in architecture within the School of Architecture and Building at the South Australian Institute of Technology (SAIT). He covered architectural design in all years including final theses, and lectured specifically in Fine Arts and Aesthetics, Landscape, Free Drawing and the History of Architecture and Construction. He also worked towards a new course in Design and Invention as a General Studies elective subject at SAIT (Cheesman Collection).
In 1962, Philpot proposed the creation of a square at the corner of North Terrace and Pulteney Street (either undergrounding or closing North Terrace at certain times), which would ‘embrace [University of Adelaide’s] Mitchell Building, Elder Hall, Bonython Hall, the new Napier Building [following the demolition of the Exhibition Building], SA Institute of Technology, the car parking area on the southern side of North Terrace and Scots Church’. At that time this area was close to venues for the Festival of Arts, and Philpot declared the square could be comparable to other major squares in the world and ‘could become a focal point for audiences’. The proposal was considered by the University of Adelaide’s Sites and Grounds Committee but they determined that it should ‘confine itself to the integrated development and improvement of the University grounds’ (Proposal for a Square, University of Adelaide Archives).
As an artist, Philpot created The Mantle of Safety mural in the John Flynn Memorial Church (with the assistance of Adelaide sculptor, Max Textor,), The Great Fish (fabric sculpture, Glenelg Congregational Church) and a feature wall of three crucifixion crosses at Tusmore Presbyterian Church. As Vice Chairman of the Australian Society for Education through Art 1967/68, he prepared the UNESCO survey and report on Art Education in Australia (‘Mural Honours Dr Flynn’, 1957; Cheesman Collection). His cultural expertise also extended to instrumental and vocal music, writing and stage design. Between 1941 and 1950 Philpot undertook singing and opera classes through the Elder Conservatorium of Music (University of Adelaide Archives). Some of his musical inventions were of a rather unusual nature, reflecting their developer’s sense of humour too, and included a eucalypt bough with a mouth piece attached (‘Mr Philpot takes a bough’,1954).
Philpot’s interests and skills extended beyond architecture and artistic pursuits. He was a Critic of Australian Rostrum and made many press, radio and TV presentations on patented inventions eg hover train-pipelines, VTOL aircraft, jet engines, orbital bowling system, building of frames and construction systems (Cheesman Collection; Patent Maps: Philpot Arthur Alfred Inventor).
After a varied career, Philpot died on 4 February 1984. A Memorial Window to Arthur Philpot installed in the Tusmore Park Uniting Church where he was a member, included these words: ‘He always had a pencil in his hand’ (Philpot Collection).
Alison McDougall
Citation details
McDougall, Alison, 'Philpot, Arthur Alfred', Architecture Museum, University of South Australia, 2015, Architects of South Australia: [http://www.architectsdatabase.unisa.edu.au/arch_full.asp?Arch_ID=134] | 
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