Obituary. T. D. Atkinson, F.R.I.B.A. Thomas Dinham
PAPER'S AND PROCEEDINGS 173 OBITUARY. T. D. ATKINSON, F.R.I.B.A. HOMAS DINHAM. ATKINSON died on the 29th of December 1948, aged 84. Architect, antiquary and author, This greatness lay even more in the power of his personality than in the quiet competence of his work in many fields. Although widely learned in several departments of archaeology, he possessed true humility and a whimsical wit, often turned against his own foibles. His classical outlook belonged more to the 18th than the. 19th century, but he was inspired by deep feeling uncommon in the Age of Taste. Injustice moved him to fierce indignation and he could be stern with folly, but he met life with kindness, generosity and nobility of spirit. Aided by an exceptional memory, he methodically amassed architectural facts under subject headings during a period of well over' half-a-century ; these extensive- collections now belong to the Society of Antiquaries; Local Style in English Architecture, published' in the last year of his life, summarised part of this garnered treasure as an introduction to the more detailed treatment he had projected, and for which " The Sources of Hampshire Architecture in Past Times " {Proceedings, Hants Field Club, XV, pt. 2) and " Local Character in the Ancient Architecture' • of Cambridgeshire" {Proceedings, Cambridge Antiquarian Society, XL) were drafts. Among his many, other published works, the great Architectural History of the Benedictine Monastery, at Ely (1933) takes pride of place, but Hampshire should treasure his Survey of the Street Architecture of Winchester (1934), an outstanding record and work of catholic appreciation which ought perpetually to be had in remembrance—and in.print.
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