Charles Clarke was a businessman and leading member of the Bristol community. Charles was the seventh generation to enter the family's legal practice, then called Clarke, Gwynne and Press, which he joined on demobilisation in 1948. In 1985, he became senior partner of the firm now known as Osborne Clarke and he played a key role in its early expansion, laying the foundations for the leading international law firm that we are today.
In 1972 Charles and his wife, Stella King, acquired the Theatre Royal, Bath. They extensively redecorated the building, which had not been decorated since the turn of the 20th century. They re-seated the auditorium, modernised the bar and updated the dressing rooms, whilst preserving the Theatre's Victorian ambience with plum-coloured furnishings and seating.
Charles served on a number of health authority boards and was appointed CBE in 1987, in recognition of his services to the National Health Service.
Charles was a Partner for nearly 40 years, and members of his family had been partners in the firm for a continuous period of 207 years.
