Page 21 - CinemaRecord Edition 3-2003 #41

About Cowper, Murphy and Appleford

The merits of the Circle Preston
and the Time Balwyn (last issue)
warrant some discussion about the firm
which designed them.
Christopher Cowper was born in
South Africa in 1868. He arrived in
Melbourne in 1883 (presumably with
his parents) at the age of 15. In the
property crash of the 1890s he
temporarily left architecture to try his
hand at farming in Victoria’s Mallee.
Unsuccessful in this venture, he tried
property development then moved into
insurance and managed the Hobart
office of a Life Assurance company.
In 1906 Cowper represented the
Royal Victorian Institute of architects at
an International Congress in London
while on a world trip to study domestic
Palace Hawthorn. As with most of these pre -1920 suburban designs, the expectation
architecture.
was better than the reality.
After teaming with draftsman Reg.
Appleford the pair designed their first
Post-war, the Orana Wangaratta, At least in the case of the Circle
cinema, the Palace Glenferrie, which
Plaza Benalla, Maya Morwell and Preston and Time Balwyn, the fusion
opened in 1916. The firm Christopher
Valley Traralgon were some of their of shapes and patterns was successful.
A. Cowper, Murphy and Appleford was
stadium designs for regional Victoria. From the mid-1940s partner
registered in 1921.
In NSW two for Hoyts - the quonset Graeme Murphy became more and
Like their rivals H. V. Taylor, Crest South Granville and the more the public face of the company,
Soilleux and Overend, much of their ‘chocolate-box’ Castle Granville - were remembered as a pleasant person to
early work was the renovation of old ‘cheapies’, the latter style promoted by deal with. When Reg. Appleford joined
cinemas for talkies. Some of those were Spyros Skouras, a former USA the Victorian Public Service in 1949 the
Broadway Camberwell, Eclipse Port exhibitor who was Chairman of firm became Cowper, Murphy and
Melbourne, Glen Glenferrie, Loco Twentieth Century-Fox Film Associates.
North Melbourne and National Corporation. The Sun Yarraville is the one
Richmond. They ‘simplified’ the
In the 1950s Cowper, Murphy working survivor of their output. Also
Princess Bendigo, a major theatre
modified cinemas to conform to new standing is Cowper’s home Constantia,
which went over to talkies, and
health regulations, made enlargements in Hilda Crescent Hawthorn, which he
supervised many foyer alterations in
to stages for wide-screen and expanded designed in 1907. ★
both Hoyts and independent cinemas.
the foyer space for candy-bars when
The commission which lifted their that side of the business became more 1. Cinemas of Australia via USA, page
profile was the rebuild of the Majestic important. In Tasmania they modified 121.
Flinders Street for Union Theatres, the Plaza Launceston, a hall which
which re-opened in April 1936. The began screening films in the 1930s; this
partnership’s first all-new cinema was gave them a presence in three States. A Extracts from the life of Christopher
the Vogue Hawthorn (also April 1936), full inventory of their theatre work in Cowper are from a summary by Miles
followed by the Waverley East Victoria must be a close second to that Lewis, former Dean of the School of
Malvern (1936), all balcony designs. from the Taylor office. Architecture, University of Melbourne,
Their forte became the stadium- Architect and cinema historian Ross held in the Miles Lewis Microfiche
style cinema exemplified by the Sun Thorne has summarized the stylistic Collection, Australiana Collection,
Yarraville (1938), the Circle Preston difference between the firms. In his State Library of Victoria.
(1938) the Time Balwyn (1940) and view Taylor’s team ‘…achieved a Additional reporting by Les Tod and
the Roxy Maidstone (1943 - issue 38). coherent unity, simplicity, yet luxurious Gerry Kennedy.
The larger Dendy Brighton (1940) was quality in their designs while
a return to a balcony format. (Cowper’s) commenced with a visual
theme then continued to apply shapes
and patterns which bore little
(1)
relationship to the theme.’

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