How much was Alfred a ‘throwback’ to the old times, and how much was he just helping to rebuild England after the ravages of years of war.

There is no reason why Alfred should have been a "throwback": if by that we mean he was somehow *genealogically* connected to the Romans. He wasn't in any way a "son of Rome" in the ancient sense. But I am sure he was an admirer, and his journey(s) to Rome must have been a reflection of this, or were the cause of it. In my opinion, Alfred was doing his best to learn from what little history he could read, and improve his kingdom by copying what he admired.