Brick Court Chambers 100 Years EBook

in part, outside the Temple. 11 Essex Street was a Georgian house with an attractive circular staircase running up the core of the building. The front rooms were beautiful and Bob Alexander took up residence in the first floor front room, where chambers meetings were held. There were by now about twenty members of chambers.

In 1981 John Phillips died tragically aged fortythree. A mildly eccentric but charming bachelor who was an outstanding croquet player, he used to play chess with his brother at lunchtime by telephone. When he failed to turn up for a conference 11 Essex Street Burley sent two of the juniors to his house in Barnes, where they found a quantity of milk bottles on the doorstep and called the police. He had died from the fumes of a burning washing machine and had been dead for several days when found.

Nicholas Chambers, a senior junior with banking experience, joined in 1980 from a common law set. Paul Walker joined in 1980 after pupillage, as did Andrew Popplewell in 1982. Andrew Popplewell had been Richard Aikens’ pupil when Aikens was in the basement of 11 Essex Street. Aikens had a term when he came up before Mr Justice Bingham every Friday morning on commercial summons day and lost them all.

When Andrew ceased sitting behind Richard as his pupil and finally was on his feet as a tenant before Bingham, the latter very charmingly said “How nice to see you on your feet at last Mr Popplewell.” The large rooms in 11 Essex Street had small anterooms behind them, and Andrew 50