Clapham, Alfred William, Sir, 1883-1950

Sir Alfred William Clapham (1883-1950), Knight, archaeologist and architectural historian, was born in London, and was the son of the Revd. James Ernest Clapham, a Wesleyan minister, and his wife Lucy Elizabeth Hutchinson. He was educated at Dulwich College and then articled to the architect James Weir. He was involved with the Victoria History of the Counties of England for many years, and then started work for the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England) (now part of English Heritage) in 1912, staying there until his retirement in 1948. He was a prolific scholar and devoted much of his time to the Society of Antiquaries of London, where he was elected as a fellow in 1913. He was president from 1939-1944 and received the Society's gold medal in 1948. As an architect turned historian, he was able to combine knowledge of documents with a detailed analysis of buildings. His specialism was the period from the late sixth century to the end of the twelfth century. His published works include English Romanesque Architecture before the Conquest (1930), English Romanesque after the Conquest (1934) and Romanesque Architecture in Western Europe (1936). He became a trustee of the British Museum in 1944 and was the first president of the Council for British Archaeology following its foundation in 1944. He was appointed CBE in 1932 was knighted in 1944.

From the guide to the Postcard collection of Sir Alfred William Clapham, ? 1920s-? 1960s, (University of Exeter)