Arthur Cook: under-gardener at Stagenhoe 1950 - 1954
Arthur Cook was the under-gardener/handyman at Stagenhoe from 1950 - 1954. His previous
employer was Miss L Rabaliati at Kings Hill, Tatmore Place, near Gosmore, Herts.
He married Ivy Butts at Hitchin in the summer of 1941 (she had been living with her parents at
29 Townsend Place, Gosmore, Herts).
Arthur and his wife, Ivy, lived at The Lodge (shown above) which was tied accommodation.
The Lodge was divided into two homes - hence the two front doors. The other home was occupied by
the head gardener.
One of Arthur’s duties was to clean the shoes of boarders when they put them outside their doors at
bedtime.
Arthur and Ivy had two children - Patricia A Cook, born when they were at Stagenhoe, and Elizabeth
who was born in the Alton area of Hampshire.
