"It is now possible for me to design a circular aluminium frame cut and welded out of 10mm thick flats into which I can just 'drop' the Victor."
Be careful, Henry, that's what some of us call "a plinth".
If you want to take the time to describe in greater detail the events surrounding your disaster, perhaps I can help. I have quite a bit of DIY experience. From what you wrote, I don't have a clear idea. Was the Cu180 placed UNDER the TT101 prior to the event? And what exactly was the "event"? A burst of very high level signal is a danger to speakers primarily; I would not expect it to damage a phono stage or other electronic devices. An alternative hypothesis is that something blew in the phono stage, which is what you heard as a burst of loud noise. Nothing to do with acoustic feedback. But I don't know all the facts.