Thomas Cook showed the British how to travel. But his grandson Ernest had influence much closer to home.
After selling his interest in the company, Ernest Cook began acquiring estates and fine art. In 1952, three years before his death, he founded the nature and education fund that bears his name. Everything is better outside, says the website.
It’s hard to disagree on a sunny, cold Cotswolds morning. I am walking with a group of old friends on the grounds of the Ernest Cook Trust on what is called a ‘pleasure trail’ along the River Coln in Gloucestershire.
We left the market town of Fairford and passed through a narrow door into the old bullpen, where pairs of oxen rested between ploughs. As it is not a Tuesday (the trail is closed) we walk along Ernest’s Land to Quenington.
Inspirational: Mark Jones walks along the River Coln in Fairford, pictured, following a route pioneered by authors CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien in 1945
At the time of Tolkien’s visit to Fairford, it “took forever to complete The Lord of the Rings, despite the prompting and encouragement of his friend CS Lewis aged 20”.
A few years before the Trust was founded, you might have seen a group of tweed-clad boys taking the same walk along the fields and ridges above the Koln. One, a burly, cheerful, red-faced fellow, would tell the other to stop hesitating on the trail—then hurry up and finish his complicated novel.
The strays were CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien. In 1945, it took Tolkien forever to complete The Lord of the Rings, despite the persistence and encouragement of his 20-year-old friend CS Lewis. Lewis himself just started Chronicles Of Narnia. It was the winter of 1945. They had traveled with a group of friends from Oxford, where they were both Dons, to attend a ‘Victory Dinner’ at The Bull Inn in Fairford to mark the end of the Second World War and a few to four days about her passions: beer and talking.
Fairford, a beautiful village long past its woolen heyday, was changed by the war. An air force base was established there in late 1944 to support the reconquest of Nazi Europe.
In 1949 a camp for Polish refugees and military personnel was set up on Leafield Road. By 1958 it was intended to accommodate 1,000 people. Alicja Swiatek Christofides was born in the camp: thanks to her dedication, there is a plaque marking the spot.
But Tolkien and Lewis, deeply religious men, were probably more interested in the stained glass windows of St Mary’s Church – some say the most intact medieval examples in England.
The Bull stands still: every inch of the fine coaching inn that has served thirsty travelers en route between London and Bath since the 15th century. It has comfortable rooms and hearty food, although I can imagine what Lewis, Tolkien and their friends would have thought of the background music and cloudy beer.
Instead, these beer-talking fellows have found pub heaven across the Ernest Cook route in Quenington at The Pig and Whistle. Unfortunately it was closed in 1954.
The pubs and houses of these eastern Cotswolds villages are testament to how much money is lying around. The influence of Lady Bamford’s super-luxurious organic farm nearby is ever-present; and more than a few empty Farrow & Ball paint cans found their way into the recycling bins.
This means that these beautiful villages have been lovingly preserved and the connection between Lewis and Tolkien makes Fairford very special.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
