At his marriage in 1878, he was a clerk, of full age, living at St James, Holloway and his father was Joseph Turner, a brewer.  TFPL, Oct 2011: This is not totally correct, from his entry on the 1861 Scots census and from the Scots birth entry of his brother George: Joseph Turner was indeed his father but was a sugar planter and estate manager in Ceylon; the brewer was his stepfather James Rennie.  TFPL, July 2016: And the last too was incorrect; in fact Joseph Turner returned to Scotland for a year or so before his early death and set up or acquired a brewery business in Dumfries, so Alfred’s father was indeed a brewer.

On the 1881 census he was living at 26 Lancaster Road North, Hornsey, Middlesex with his wife and one-year-old son Alfred; he was 27 and born in Ceylon as a British Subject.  They had one servant in the house.

In 1882 at the birth of his son Richard, he was a Shipping clerk and living at 26 Lancaster Roard North Stroud Green, Hornsey.
I can't find him on the 1901 census.
Gentleman on his son Richard's marriage certificate.
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FreeBMD has two Turner births with Elphinstone forenames:

Births Sep 1888  TURNER  Elphinstone  Islington  1b  254

Births Dec 1904  Turner  Elphinstone Docwra   Basford  7b  269

The second of these has to be a relation and my guess is that the first is too.  The first is findable on the 1901 census but his parents, and he if alive, were in Borneo then, as shown in the 1911 census and their son George was born there.

TFPL, 2011: I wonder if the first of these Elphinstones was the child who died, as reported in the 1911 census?  The answer must be to get his birth certificate to see who the mother was.

And his death aged 7 is on FreeBMD:
Surname First name(s) Age District Vol  Page
Deaths Sep 1896   (>99%)
Turner Elphinstone 7 Rochford 4a 303
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One or two possibilities for his death:

(a) All A E Ts born in 1854 and dying between 1911 (his last known record) and c.1950

Surname First name(s) Age District Vol  Page
Deaths Mar 1918   (>99%)
Turner Alfred E 64 St.Asaph 11b 404
Deaths Dec 1923   (>99%)
TURNER Alfred E 69 Portsmouth 2b 538

(b)  All A E Ts born in 1853 and dying between 1911 (his last known record) and c.1950

Produces the same answer.

I am inclined to believe that the second was his death as I can’t see what he might have been doing in St Asaph.  Again the answer is to get a death certificate or two.
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In the 1911 census he was living in Forest Hill, Surrey with his wife and youngest son George:

Reference RG14 - PN2829 RD SD ED- SN82

Address 24 Colfe Road, Forest Hill S E
Registration District Lewisham
Sub District Sydenham
Civil Parish Lewisham

                                          Marriage  Years
Surname  Forename  Age  Gender  Relation   Status  Married  Occupation  Birth Place

Turner Alfred Elphinstone 57 Male Head Married 32  Commission Agent  Point De Galle, Ceylon         
Turner Emma 57 Female Wife Married 32   Islington, London
Turner George 20 Male Son Single - Commercial Clerk  Sandakan North Bornes Resident, British

Emma was recorded as having had 4 children, 3 surv, 1 died.
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Here’s a history of where he lived:

1854: born in Ceylon
1855: Probably in Scotland with his parents where his brother George was born
by 1857: Back in Ceylon where his brother John was born.
by 1860: In Scotland when his mother married James Rennie.
1871: Not found in the census
1878: In London for his marriage to Emma Docwra
1879: In London for the birth of his son Alfred Docwra
1881: In Hornsey, Middlesex in the census
1882: In Hornsey for the birth of his son Richard Rennie
1888: In Islington, Middlesex for the birth of his son Elphinstone
1891: In Borneo for the birth of his son George
1888: Possibly in England for the death of his son Elphinstone
1901: Colfe Road, Lewisham, Middlesex, in the census
1911: In Forest Hill, Surrey with his wife and son George
No further entries found on public records.
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Feb 2012, TFPL: A further death search for an Alfred E Turner born in 1854 brought up two candidates:

Surname   First name(s)   Age   District   Vol  Page
Deaths Mar 1918   (>99%)
Turner Alfred E 64 St.Asaph 11b 404
Deaths Dec 1923   (>99%)
TURNER Alfred E 69 Portsmouth 2b 538

I am trying the first one first.

It was right!  He was living near his sister in law, Olivia Docwra:

District:       St Asaph
Year:           1918
Cert No:        103
Death date:     13 Feb 1919
Death Place:    Novimont, Dyserth, St Asaph, Flints
Name:           Alfred Elphinstone Turner
Sex:            male
Age:            64 years
Occupation:     Shipping agent (retired)
Cause of death: Cerebral thrombosis, cert by Wycliffe Goodwin MB
Informant:      Olivia Docwra sister in law present at the death Braeside
                  Dyserth
Registration:   14th Feb 1918
Registrar:      J E Davies
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Jan 2016, TFPL: I’ve now found his 1901 census entry.  He and Emma were living in Colfe Rd, Lewisham with their two sons Richard and George.  He was 47 and a self-employed Commission Agent born in Ceylon.  Richard R was a Merchantile Clerk, born in London and aged 18.  George was of no occupationm aged 10 and born in British North Borneo.
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On his marriage certificate he said his father was a brewer.  This was the occupation of his step-father.  His father had been a planter and merchant in Ceylon, dying there.