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Bessie Ada Charles (1869 – 4 November 1932) was a British architect. In 1900, she became one of the first women to enter the
Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
(RIBA).


Early life

Bessie Charles, her sister
Ethel Charles Ethel Mary Charles (25 March 1871 – 8 April 1962) was a British architect, the first woman to be admitted to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 1898. Early life Ethel Charles, her sister Bessie Ada Charles (1869–1932) ...
and brother
Ronald Charles Lieutenant General Sir James Ronald Edmondston Charles, (26 June 1875 – 24 December 1955) was a senior British Army officer in the Royal Engineers. Family Charles was born in Calcutta, British India, the son of Thomas Edmondston Charles, la ...
were born in
Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
to Thomas Edmonton Charles (1834–1906), a doctor in private practice (also later honorary physician to King
Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...
), and Ada Henrietta Charles (1848–1931/2). The family left India in 1877, settling at first in
Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...
, then for twenty years spent their summers in Switzerland and winters in Rome, and visiting to England annually. Ethel and Bessie Charles were both educated privately and together read modern languages at
Somerville College Somerville College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. Among its alumnae have been Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Dorothy Hodgkin, Ir ...
, Oxford for a year in 1891–2. Despite being presented at court, their father encouraged both daughters to explore a profession.


Career

Between 1892–5 Bessie and Ethel were articled to Sir Ernest George and Peto, the architectural practice of
Ernest George Sir Ernest George (13 June 1839 – 8 December 1922) was a British architect, landscape and architectural watercolourist, and etcher. Life and work Born in London, Ernest George began his architectural training in 1856, under Samuel Hewitt, ...
and
Harold Peto Harold Ainsworth Peto FRIBA (11 July 1854 – 16 April 1933) was a British architect, landscape architect and garden designer, who worked in Britain and in Provence, France. Among his best-known gardens are Iford Manor, Wiltshire; Buscot P ...
. In 1892 they were proposed for membership of the
Architectural Association School of Architecture The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest Independent school (United Kingdom), independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in t ...
, but withdrew after opposition. They attended the school of architecture at
The Bartlett ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
(
University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...
), studying architecture as a fine art, a course in architectural history (second class certificates, 1892–3); however, they did not take the professional elements of the programme, which were not thought appropriate for women students. They were the first women to study architecture at UCL. In 1900, Bessie took the qualifying examination for the
Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
(RIBA) and was elected, one year after Ethel. From 1898 to 1905 Ethel and Bessie Charles lived together in
Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...
, London, which provided accommodation for single professional women. Both sisters lived from time to time in the family home in
Camberley Camberley is a town in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately south-west of Central London. The town is in the far west of the county, close to the borders of Hampshire and Berkshire. Once part of Windsor Forest, Cambe ...
,
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, but they shifted the focus of their architectural practice to Clift Cottage in
Flushing, Cornwall Flushing ( kw, Nanskersys) is a coastal village in the civil parish of Mylor, west Cornwall, UK. It is east of Penryn and south of Truro. It faces Falmouth across the Penryn River, an arm of the Carrick Roads. The village is known for its ...
. Their most notable work is a Bible Christian Chapel at
Mylor Bridge Mylor Bridge ( kw, Ponsnowyth) is a village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in Mylor civil parish at the head of Mylor Creek, about five miles north of Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 204 ''Truro & Falmouth'' Found ...
, near Falmouth (1907).


See also

*
Women in architecture Women in architecture have been documented for many centuries, as professional (or amateur) practitioners, educators and clients. Since architecture became organized as a profession in 1857, the number of women in architecture has been low. At t ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Bessie 20th-century British architects 1869 births 1932 deaths British women architects 20th-century English women 20th-century English people Alumni of University College London Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford