Ernest Edward Cook (4 September 1865 – 14 March 1955) was an English philanthropist and businessman. He was a grandson of

Thomas Cook Thomas Cook (22 November 1808 – 18 July 1892) was an English businessman. He is best known for founding the travel agency Thomas Cook & Son. He was also one of the initial developers of the "package tour" including travel, accommodatio ...

, the travel entrepreneur. Cook was born in Camberwell, London and educated at

Mill Hill School Mill Hill School is a 13–18 mixed independent, day and boarding school in Mill Hill, London, England that was established in 1807. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. History A committee of Nonconformist ...

, as were his two brothers Frank and Thomas. He entered the family travel business, and developed its banking operations. In 1928, along with his brother Frank, he sold his business interest in the family firm to the

Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits Newrest Wagons-Lits, formerly (lit. ''International Sleeping-Car Company''), also CIWL, Compagnie des Wagons-Lits, or just Wagons-Lits, is a division of particularly known for its on-train catering and sleeping car services, as well as being ...

. Following the sale, Cook retired to Bath, and devoted himself to his art collection and the acquisition of country estates. He accumulated a large collection of fine and decorative art, which on his death became the largest bequest ever left to the

National Art Collections Fund Art Fund (formerly the National Art Collections Fund) is an independent membership-based British charity, which raises funds to aid the acquisition of artworks for the nation. It gives grants and acts as a channel for many gifts and bequests, as ...

. In 1931 he acquired

Montacute House Montacute House is a late Elizabethan era, Elizabethan mansion with a garden in Montacute, South Somerset. An example of English architecture during a period that was moving from the medieval Gothic to the Renaissance Classical, and one of fe ...

in Somerset and the

Bath Assembly Rooms The Bath Assembly Rooms, designed by John Wood the Younger in 1769, are a set of assembly rooms located in the heart of the World Heritage City of Bath in England which are now open to the public as a visitor attraction. They are designated as ...

for the

Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) (also known as Anti-Scrape) is an amenity society founded by William Morris, Philip Webb, and others in 1877 to oppose the destructive 'restoration' of ancient buildings occurring in ...

. He became a major benefactor of the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

, and encouraged the Trust to acquire historic country houses and estates. Montacute House and the Assembly Rooms were transferred to the National Trust. In 1938 he acquired

Hartwell House, Buckinghamshire Hartwell House is a country house in the parish of Hartwell in Buckinghamshire, southern England. The house is owned by the Ernest Cook Trust, has been a Historic House Hotel since 1989, and in 2008 was leased to The National Trust. The Grade I li ...

when it was threatened with demolition. The contents were sold off by public auction. Cook acquired a total of seventeen estates, of which Bradenham,

Buscot Buscot is an English village and civil parish on the River Thames, about south-east of Lechlade. Buscot was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. Two houses there contain notable collections of pain ...

and Coleshill passed to the National Trust. In 1952 Cook founded the

Ernest Cook Trust The Ernest Cook Trust is a large educational charity in England. It was founded in 1952 by the philanthropist Ernest Cook, the grandson of Thomas Cook. Each year the Trustees distribute more than £1.25m in educational grants to benefit children a ...

, and transferred seven estates to it.

References

External links

Ernest Cook Trust website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Ernest 1865 births 1955 deaths English philanthropists English art collectors People educated at Mill Hill School

References

Further reading

External links