His paternal aunt, Mary Ann Criddle, was a notable artist,[2] while his younger brother Chaloner Alabaster was an English diplomat and administrator in China.

[3] Alabaster first came to Siam in 1856 as an interpreter in British service, during the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV).

This included the building of roads, bridges and libraries (Thailand’s first road, Charoen Krung, was overseen by Alabaster), the founding of the national museum, post office and the royal cartography service, and sending the sons and daughters of royalty and high-ranking positions abroad for study.

[4][7] One of his roles was Director of the Royal Museum and Garden; he sent botanical specimens to China for his brother Chaloner, an amateur plant collector.

[8] He was the first director of the kingdom's map-making division, established in 1875, and had teams of surveyors develop maps for use in building roads and telegraphs as well as protecting territorial waters.