Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1924-[?1980] (Accumulation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
5 boxes
Context area
Archival history
Alfred Brazier began working as a bookbinder in 1934 when he started a seven year apprenticeship at Kelly and Sons Bookbinders. His apprenticeship was interrupted in 1939 when he was called up for active service in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. Following demobilisation Brazier resumed and completed his apprenticeship.
Brazier studied at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts obtaining the City and Guilds of London 1st Class Final Certificate for Bookbinding in 1952, and in 1954 obtained the Full Technological Certificate. He was appointed Foreman of the Forwarding Department at Kelly and Sons in 1954 in charge of nine men and two apprentices. The department consisted of a Publisher's Edition section and a section for Extra Miscellaneous Fine Bindings.
In 1952 Brazier was appointed to the panel of London College of Communication Evening School Instructors and from then on held Bookbinding classes at the Robert Browning Institute three evenings a week. He worked as a visiting teacher at the Camberwell School of Art and Crafts teaching when the number of students warranted an additional teacher. In 1959 he became Senior Lecturer at London College of Printing (now London College of Communication) running classes in Bookbinding up until 1981.
In the 1970s Brazier travelled to Nigeria on behalf of the British Council to advise on the set-up of a university Bookbinding department.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
The Collection was kept in Alfred Brazier's house, in Catford, London until it was transferred to the University Archives and Special Collections Centre in 2010.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The Collection is formed of material accumulated by Alfred Brazier in the course of his career as a Bookbinder and Lecturer. Records relate mostly to his role as Senior Lecturer in Bookbinding at London College of Printing (now London College of Communication), but also to his role as a visiting teacher at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts. As well as documents, photographs and slides relating to courses, the collection contains a body of reference material on various aspects of Bookbinding and on Archive Preservation and Repair.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
The Collection has been arranged into three series; 1 Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts, 2 London College of Printing and 3 General Reference Material.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open
Conditions governing reproduction
Selected items have been digitised and are accessible online under Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
View the online catalogue here: https://archives.arts.ac.uk/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=AB
View selected items from the collection digitised here: https://digitalcollections.arts.ac.uk/collection/?code=AB
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
2013
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
- Latin