Thomas, Sir Alfred Brumwell,1868–1948, architect

Alfred Brumwell Thomas was born in London, on 24 February 1868. He commenced practice about 1894, initially with his father, under the name of E. Thomas & Son, but later worked independently, adding the invented name Brumwell as a distinguishing feature. Thomas achieved notable success in competitions for large public buildings, beginning with Belfast city hall in 1896. Thomas's other main competition successes—Woolwich town hall (1899–1908) in south-east London and Stockport town hall (1903–6) in Cheshire, both of which were contemporary with Belfast—were designed in a similar idiom and faced in the same material, Portland stone. Following the completion of Belfast city hall, Thomas was knighted in 1906. He was a fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and sometime president of the Architectural Association. He died on 22 January 1948.

London, Belfast.

ISAAR(CPF): International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families, International Council on Archives (2nd edition, 2003); Rules for the construction of personal, place and corporate names, National Council on Archives (1997).

Created by Duncan Birrell, February 2018

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Article: 'Thomas, Sir Alfred Brumwell (1868–1948), architect' by Paul Larmour, 23 September 2004