The Ernest Cook Trust

The Church on Fairford Leys was seen by the Ernest Cook Trust (ECT) to be the focal point for the development of Fairford Leys. Here is a brief explanation of the history and development of the Trust. For detailed information go to www.ernestcooktrust.org.uk

Ernest Edward Cook was born 4th September 1865 in Camberwell; the second son of John Mason Cook, he was destined to be absorbed into the well known travel business founded in the mid-19th century by his grandfather Thomas Cook.

When John Cook took over the business in 1878, Ernest was responsible for the banking side of the business, developing the travellers cheque and foreign exchange business.

Always an extremely private man, Ernest was in his mid-sixties when he retired to Bath; it was there that, funded by the sale of the business, he began both his considerable art collection and his purchase of historic properties.

Ernest Cook was a great public benefactor. During his lifetime he made many gifts of property to the National Trust and on his death he left his extensive collection of paintings to the National Art Collections Fund and his home in Bath to Kingswood School.

Three years before his death, Ernest set up his own Trust in the hope that the estates he retained would be managed “according to the best traditions of the great estates of England”. As the Trust is an educational charity, the net income was used for educational grant-making purposes.

The Trust own estates in:
Gloucestershire
Leicestershire
Dorset
Buckinghamshire
In total the Trust manages 21,600 acres.

The Hartwell Estate in Buckinghamshire covers 1800 acres. The farms are mixed, with dairy and beef farming as well as arable crops. The Boarstall Estate, near Brill, is made up of one large mixed farm as well as a block of woodland rich in wildlife.

The trust is concerned for the future of local communities and as a result, through a consortium, developed Fairford Leys.