Sam Alper
Encyclopedia
Samuel Alper OBE was a London born caravan
designer and manufacturer responsible for the famous Sprite caravan, founder of the Little Chef
chain of roadside restaurants, a viticulturist who revived the ancient Roman
winery at Chilford Hall, a sculptor
, the founder of the Curwen Print Study Centre for teaching printmaking and a philanthropist
who sent caravans abroad to aid in disaster relief programmes.
, east London, the son of a hairdresser
. On leaving school at 14 he went to night school to study electrical engineering
. When the Second World War was declared, he volunteered for the Navy
and found himself serving with the Fleet Air Arm
where his electrical engineering
training was put to good use rewiring Swordfish
biplanes.
, East London. Henry soon left leaving Sam with a company he turned into the iconic vision of cheap caravanning for the masses. Materials were in short supply in the austerity
of post-war Britain and Alper had to make the first caravans out of what he could get. By 1947 he had designed and made his first touring caravan with magnesium
wheels and suspension
and the brakes from a Spitfire fighter aircraft. The roof was made out of the material from barrage balloons.
Those first caravans were, in Alper's opinion, too expensive and he decided to try to produce a cheaper, lighter version that could be towed by an ordinary family saloon car. Within a year the Sprite was launched. Built from tempered hardboard, it sold for less than £200. One of Alper's relatives suggested the name and it soon caught on as he sold 500 caravans in the first year of production. In 1951 he towed one of his caravans to an international caravan rally in Florence
, Italy as a publicity stunt
. Driving via Frankfurt
, Biarritz
and Naples
the 4500 miles (7,242 km) trip won him an award from a French magazine, but more importantly won a reputation for his caravans that soon made the name Sprite almost synonymous with caravans.
The following year he tried some thing a bit more ambitious, a 10000 miles (16,093.4 km) trip round the Mediterranean towing a caravan behind a 3.5 litre SS Jaguar. Roads in Yugoslavia
and Greece were found to be impassable so he had to go part of the way by train, and in the Sahara
he had to be rescued by local tribesman who dug him out of the sand. A 1956 test carried out at Motor Industry Research Association
(MIRA) proving grounds near Nuneaton
in Warwickshire
, saw 30000 miles (48,280.2 km) of testing produce just one broken gas mantle.
The Alperson Sprite proved so popular that production was moved to Newmarket in Suffolk
and in 1959 the Sprite Caravan Owners' Club was launched.
, South Africa
, Canada
and the United States
. In 1966 Caravans International won the Queen's Awards for Enterprise
and Alper was made OBE for his services to exports.
Soon there were several models in different sizes. The Sprite 400 was designed to be towed by smaller family cars such as the Volkswagen Beetle
. Originally launched in 1960 it went through several incarnations until being withdrawn in 1976 but made a brief reappearance in 1985.
In 1970 Caravans International decided to cater for the small car owner and introduced the Sprite Cadet, just 8' 6" long and with a door located unusually at the rear. It had a small wardrobe, basic kitchen and compact small dinette at the front. Designed to sell at £227 the model was first launched with a large plastic roof vent which soon earned it the name of the bubble-top. After one season the model was withdrawn and launched again for the 1971 season with a new sleeker shell.
Alper served as Treasurer
and then Chairman of the National Caravan Council, the industry body, for many years. He was also among those who set up the European Caravan Federation and served as president for almost a decade. Recognising the up and down nature of the caravan industry and its seasonal character Alper spread his interests further, developing the first successful table football game, Soccerette, he built yachts for a time and was also responsible for the first popular brand of roadside diner in Britain.
The recession of the 1980s took a heavy toll on the British caravan industry, and in 1982 Caravans International went into liquidation
. The rights to the various brands were sold to Hull based Cosalt
, who kept the CI brand but renamed the division Cosalt International. Cosalt today still manufacture static caravans under the CI brand, but sold the touring caravan business to Swift Leisure
.
concept on the small diners he had seen while marketing his caravans in the United States. The first restaurant opened near Reading
in Berkshire
in 1958 and had just eleven seats. Based principally on Britain's A-roads, they were ideally suited to the new breed of travellers taking to the expanding road network and soon Little Chefs with their now iconic logo
were springing up all over the country. With little or no commercial competition they proved remarkably popular and within ten years the brand had been consumed into the Gardner Merchant group of companies which eventually became a part of Trust House Forte. Continuing to innovate, Little Chef introduced cheap travellers' hotels alongside some of the restaurants. By 1996 the brand was taken over by the Granada Corporation
at which point Alper sold his interest in the company.
near Cambridge
with a view to turning them into a conference, banqueting and cultural centre. The oldest building at Chilford Hall is the Little Barn, built in the early 18th century. The Great Hall is a Grade II listed building dating from 1820 and the house itself dates from 1840 although there has been a farm at the site since Saxon times. Alper added to the property over the years adding an art gallery
in 1971 and the Pavilion
from 1968 with major alterations made in 1997.
In 1972 he planted 18 acres of vineyard
which was extended between 1974–76 and he established a winery
making a range of English wines using nine different grape varieties. He set up the East Anglian Wine Growers' Association and served as a Board Member of the English Vineyard Association. His wines have won numerous awards and Alper, displaying his usual flair for publicity would regularly promote the wine by taking part in the Great English Wine Rally, driving samples of his wine to the George V Hotel, Paris
in his 1930s Phantom II Rolls Royce
.
Privately, he was a great opera
enthusiast and a collector of modern art and was himself a talented sculptor in stone who appreciated fine architecture
. He delighted in incorporating some examples into the buildings at Chilford Hall including some marble pillars from the Long Bar at Waterloo railway station to be found in the wine cellar
and the pink marble staircase from the old London Stock Exchange
building can be found in the bar in the Great Hall.
His artistic interests also saw Alper bring the Curwen Studio to Chilford Hall, Cambridge in 1989 when he became aware that the studio's lease of Tottenham Court Road
, London, was about to expire. The Curwen Press had originally been established in 1863 by the Reverend John Curwen in Plaistow
. His grandson Harold transformed the business from being principally a music printers into a fine art printers and lithographers
and they established a reputation for excellence that earned them exhibitions with both Tate Gallery
and the Royal Academy
as well as commissions from noted artists such as Henry Moore
, Barbara Hepworth
and Graham Sutherland
. In bringing the studio to Chilford Hall Alper expressed his strong admiration for the arts over many years. Later, he also established the Curwen Print Study Centre, an educational charity permitting people from as young as seven years of age and of all abilities to learn about different forms of printmaking
.
for many years and was instrumental in setting up the Gibraltar Heritage Trust in Gibraltar and the Friends of Gibraltar Heritage Society in England. For many years he was associated with the Rotary Club, beginning in the 1970s when he arranged for 50 caravans to be delivered to Italy for the relief of flood victims. In 2000 the Rotary Club awarded him the Paul Harris Fellowship in recognition of his part in the club's 1999 project to find and send nearly 200 serviceable caravans to earthquake
areas in Greece and Turkey
with the help and encouragement of Crown Princess Katherine
of Yugoslavia
through the charity Lifeline
. He also established a family trust to buy instruments for young musicians.
, near Cambridge
in 2002 at the age of 78.
Travel trailer
A travel trailer or caravan is towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent . It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation, without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places...
designer and manufacturer responsible for the famous Sprite caravan, founder of the Little Chef
Little Chef
Little Chef is a chain of roadside restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 and owned by the UK private equity group RCapital. Little Chef's previous owners were The People's Restaurant Group Ltd., a company belonging to British catering entrepreneurs Simon Heath and Lawrence Wosskow,...
chain of roadside restaurants, a viticulturist who revived the ancient Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
winery at Chilford Hall, a sculptor
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, the founder of the Curwen Print Study Centre for teaching printmaking and a philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
who sent caravans abroad to aid in disaster relief programmes.
Early life
Alper was born in Forest GateForest Gate
Forest Gate is a residential area in the London Borough of Newham, 7 miles northeast of Charing Cross. It is bordered by Manor Park to the east and and to the west lies Stratford town centre. The northern half of the busy Green Street runs through it.-History:...
, east London, the son of a hairdresser
Hairdresser
Hairdresser is a term referring to anyone whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques...
. On leaving school at 14 he went to night school to study electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
. When the Second World War was declared, he volunteered for the Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and found himself serving with the Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
where his electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
training was put to good use rewiring Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
biplanes.
Sprite
On the cessation of hostilities, Alper went to work for his brother Henry in his newly established caravan company, Alperson Products, in StratfordStratford, London
Stratford is a place in the London Borough of Newham, England. It is located east northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an agrarian settlement in the ancient parish of West Ham, which transformed into an industrial suburb...
, East London. Henry soon left leaving Sam with a company he turned into the iconic vision of cheap caravanning for the masses. Materials were in short supply in the austerity
Austerity
In economics, austerity is a policy of deficit-cutting, lower spending, and a reduction in the amount of benefits and public services provided. Austerity policies are often used by governments to reduce their deficit spending while sometimes coupled with increases in taxes to pay back creditors to...
of post-war Britain and Alper had to make the first caravans out of what he could get. By 1947 he had designed and made his first touring caravan with magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
wheels and suspension
Suspension (vehicle)
Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
and the brakes from a Spitfire fighter aircraft. The roof was made out of the material from barrage balloons.
Those first caravans were, in Alper's opinion, too expensive and he decided to try to produce a cheaper, lighter version that could be towed by an ordinary family saloon car. Within a year the Sprite was launched. Built from tempered hardboard, it sold for less than £200. One of Alper's relatives suggested the name and it soon caught on as he sold 500 caravans in the first year of production. In 1951 he towed one of his caravans to an international caravan rally in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy as a publicity stunt
Publicity stunt
A publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized or set up by amateurs...
. Driving via Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Biarritz
Biarritz
Biarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers....
and Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
the 4500 miles (7,242 km) trip won him an award from a French magazine, but more importantly won a reputation for his caravans that soon made the name Sprite almost synonymous with caravans.
The following year he tried some thing a bit more ambitious, a 10000 miles (16,093.4 km) trip round the Mediterranean towing a caravan behind a 3.5 litre SS Jaguar. Roads in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and Greece were found to be impassable so he had to go part of the way by train, and in the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
he had to be rescued by local tribesman who dug him out of the sand. A 1956 test carried out at Motor Industry Research Association
Motor Industry Research Association
MIRA Ltd, formerly known as the Motor Industry Research Association, is a limited company based near Nuneaton in Hinckley and Bosworth, Leicestershire in the United Kingdom, which provides product engineering, research, testing, information and certification services to the automotive...
(MIRA) proving grounds near Nuneaton
Nuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, saw 30000 miles (48,280.2 km) of testing produce just one broken gas mantle.
The Alperson Sprite proved so popular that production was moved to Newmarket in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and in 1959 the Sprite Caravan Owners' Club was launched.
Caravans International
By 1963, Alper had founded Caravans International, which had purchased the Eccles and Bluebird Caravans brands, and distributed these and the Sprite brand to EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1966 Caravans International won the Queen's Awards for Enterprise
Queen's Awards for Enterprise
The Queen's Awards for Enterprise is an awards programme for British businesses and other organizations who excel at international trade, innovation or sustainable development. They are the highest official UK awards for British businesses...
and Alper was made OBE for his services to exports.
Soon there were several models in different sizes. The Sprite 400 was designed to be towed by smaller family cars such as the Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
. Originally launched in 1960 it went through several incarnations until being withdrawn in 1976 but made a brief reappearance in 1985.
In 1970 Caravans International decided to cater for the small car owner and introduced the Sprite Cadet, just 8' 6" long and with a door located unusually at the rear. It had a small wardrobe, basic kitchen and compact small dinette at the front. Designed to sell at £227 the model was first launched with a large plastic roof vent which soon earned it the name of the bubble-top. After one season the model was withdrawn and launched again for the 1971 season with a new sleeker shell.
Alper served as Treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
and then Chairman of the National Caravan Council, the industry body, for many years. He was also among those who set up the European Caravan Federation and served as president for almost a decade. Recognising the up and down nature of the caravan industry and its seasonal character Alper spread his interests further, developing the first successful table football game, Soccerette, he built yachts for a time and was also responsible for the first popular brand of roadside diner in Britain.
The recession of the 1980s took a heavy toll on the British caravan industry, and in 1982 Caravans International went into liquidation
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
. The rights to the various brands were sold to Hull based Cosalt
Cosalt
Cosalt plc was a diversified marine safety and leisure company, based in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. It was a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index....
, who kept the CI brand but renamed the division Cosalt International. Cosalt today still manufacture static caravans under the CI brand, but sold the touring caravan business to Swift Leisure
Swift Leisure
Swift Leisure are a British manufacturer of leisure vehicles, including caravans and motorhomes. Started in 1965, the company is based in Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire....
.
Little Chef
Alper based the Little ChefLittle Chef
Little Chef is a chain of roadside restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 and owned by the UK private equity group RCapital. Little Chef's previous owners were The People's Restaurant Group Ltd., a company belonging to British catering entrepreneurs Simon Heath and Lawrence Wosskow,...
concept on the small diners he had seen while marketing his caravans in the United States. The first restaurant opened near Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
in 1958 and had just eleven seats. Based principally on Britain's A-roads, they were ideally suited to the new breed of travellers taking to the expanding road network and soon Little Chefs with their now iconic logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
were springing up all over the country. With little or no commercial competition they proved remarkably popular and within ten years the brand had been consumed into the Gardner Merchant group of companies which eventually became a part of Trust House Forte. Continuing to innovate, Little Chef introduced cheap travellers' hotels alongside some of the restaurants. By 1996 the brand was taken over by the Granada Corporation
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
at which point Alper sold his interest in the company.
Chilford Hall
In 1965, Alper bought a group of old farm buildings in LintonLinton, Cambridgeshire
Linton is a village in rural Cambridgeshire, England, on the border with Essex. It has been expanded much since the 1960s and is now one of many dormitory villages around Cambridge. The railway station was on the Stour Valley Railway between Cambridge and Colchester, now closed. The Rivey Hill...
near Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
with a view to turning them into a conference, banqueting and cultural centre. The oldest building at Chilford Hall is the Little Barn, built in the early 18th century. The Great Hall is a Grade II listed building dating from 1820 and the house itself dates from 1840 although there has been a farm at the site since Saxon times. Alper added to the property over the years adding an art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
in 1971 and the Pavilion
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
from 1968 with major alterations made in 1997.
In 1972 he planted 18 acres of vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
which was extended between 1974–76 and he established a winery
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
making a range of English wines using nine different grape varieties. He set up the East Anglian Wine Growers' Association and served as a Board Member of the English Vineyard Association. His wines have won numerous awards and Alper, displaying his usual flair for publicity would regularly promote the wine by taking part in the Great English Wine Rally, driving samples of his wine to the George V Hotel, Paris
Hotel George V, Paris
Hôtel George-V is a famous luxury five-star hotel set just off the Champs-Élysées on Avenue George V, in Paris, France. It is named, like the street in which it is situated, after King George V.-History:...
in his 1930s Phantom II Rolls Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
.
Privately, he was a great opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
enthusiast and a collector of modern art and was himself a talented sculptor in stone who appreciated fine architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
. He delighted in incorporating some examples into the buildings at Chilford Hall including some marble pillars from the Long Bar at Waterloo railway station to be found in the wine cellar
Wine cellar
A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae or plastic containers. In an active wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control system. In contrast, passive wine cellars are not...
and the pink marble staircase from the old London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
building can be found in the bar in the Great Hall.
His artistic interests also saw Alper bring the Curwen Studio to Chilford Hall, Cambridge in 1989 when he became aware that the studio's lease of Tottenham Court Road
Tottenham Court Road
Tottenham Court Road is a major road in central London, United Kingdom, running from St Giles Circus north to Euston Road, near the border of the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, a distance of about three-quarters of a mile...
, London, was about to expire. The Curwen Press had originally been established in 1863 by the Reverend John Curwen in Plaistow
Plaistow, Newham
Plaistow is a place in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It formed part of the County Borough of West Ham in Essex until 1965.Plaistow is a mainly residential area, including several council estates; the main road is the A112 - Plaistow Road, High Street, Broadway, Greengate Street and...
. His grandson Harold transformed the business from being principally a music printers into a fine art printers and lithographers
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
and they established a reputation for excellence that earned them exhibitions with both Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
and the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
as well as commissions from noted artists such as Henry Moore
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
, Barbara Hepworth
Barbara Hepworth
Dame Barbara Hepworth DBE was an English sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism, and with such contemporaries as Ivon Hitchens, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, Naum Gabo she helped to develop modern art in Britain.-Life and work:Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth was born on 10 January 1903 in Wakefield,...
and Graham Sutherland
Graham Sutherland
Graham Vivien Sutherland OM was an English artist.-Early life:He was born in Streatham, attending Homefield Preparatory School, Sutton. He was then educated at Epsom College, Surrey before going up to Goldsmiths, University of London...
. In bringing the studio to Chilford Hall Alper expressed his strong admiration for the arts over many years. Later, he also established the Curwen Print Study Centre, an educational charity permitting people from as young as seven years of age and of all abilities to learn about different forms of printmaking
Printmaking
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
.
Philanthropy
Alper owned a hotel in GibraltarGibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
for many years and was instrumental in setting up the Gibraltar Heritage Trust in Gibraltar and the Friends of Gibraltar Heritage Society in England. For many years he was associated with the Rotary Club, beginning in the 1970s when he arranged for 50 caravans to be delivered to Italy for the relief of flood victims. In 2000 the Rotary Club awarded him the Paul Harris Fellowship in recognition of his part in the club's 1999 project to find and send nearly 200 serviceable caravans to earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
areas in Greece and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
with the help and encouragement of Crown Princess Katherine
Katherine, Crown Princess of Yugoslavia
Katherine, Crown Princess of Yugoslavia, also named Katherine Karađorđević , is the wife of Alexander, Crown Prince of Serbia.Katherine was educated in Athens and Lausanne, Switzerland. She studied business at the University of Denver, Colorado and the University of Dallas, Texas...
of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
through the charity Lifeline
Lifeline
Lifeline or Lifelines may refer to:Non-Medical In-Home Services to the Elderly:* Lifeline utility, in New Zealand, an essential service during major emergencies* Crisis hotline:** Lifeline , Australia-based, now international...
. He also established a family trust to buy instruments for young musicians.
Personal life
Alper had one son and one daughter with his first wife, Isabel Grist and a son with his second wife, Fiona Morton. He died at home in Chilford Hall, LintonLinton, Cambridgeshire
Linton is a village in rural Cambridgeshire, England, on the border with Essex. It has been expanded much since the 1960s and is now one of many dormitory villages around Cambridge. The railway station was on the Stour Valley Railway between Cambridge and Colchester, now closed. The Rivey Hill...
, near Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
in 2002 at the age of 78.