Sculptor in bronze, born in Corsham, Wiltshire. Studied at West of England College of Art, Bristol, and became a fellow of RBS and member of SPS and RWA. Backhouse taught sculpture in Bristol for a time, then worked extensively abroad: in 1971 in Luxembourg, portrait heads of Prince Charles of Luxembourg and family; in 1972 in Rome and Florence, bronze casting. Among assignments completed were portrait head of the conductor Colin Davis, collection of Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 1974; sculpture for Mercantile and General Reinsurance Company, Cheltenham, 1977–8; and life-size, three-figure bronze fountain for John Perkins, 1979. Exhibitions included Lad Lane Gallery, Dublin, 1975; Alwin Gallery, 1979; retrospective at Century Galleries, Henley-on-Thames, 1980; and Orangery, Holland Park, 1981.