Funerals

ABOUT Us

T.L. Cobbold the local family owned Funeral Directors in St. Neots has been helping and advising local families for over 60 years.

The business was founded in 1947 by Tom and Rita Cobbold and operated from their home at 54 High Street, Hail Weston. Eventually, they built a new house on an adjoining plot and 54 High Street was then used solely as a funeral home.

After a few years Tom Cobbold took a lease on an office on the first floor of The Limes in New Street, St. Neots. This was used as a town centre office for funeral arranging.

In 1983, after 36 years of serving the local community, Tom decided to retire. However, he wanted to ensure the business continued to be owned and managed by a family of funeral directors. He eventually decided to sell his business to Lodge Brothers, a seventh generation of Funeral Directors.

The business continued to expand and in 1998 Lodge Brothers acquired a former garage site at 11-13 New Street, St. Neots. The existing buildings were totally demolished and a purpose built funeral home was built on the site.

Trading transferred from Hail Weston and the office in The Limes to the new premises in the summer of 2000.

Today Lodge Brothers continue to wholly own T.L. Cobbold and the company is currently run by six members of the Lodge family (Andrew, Christopher, Michael, Beverley, Janet and Robert).

The St. Neots branch of T.L. Cobbold is managed by Nigel Anthony assisted by Andrea Marr and Funeral Arrangers Marion Marchant and Heidi Killman.

 

ORIGINS & HISTORY ~

The business was started in Feltham, Middlesex by James Lodge (1762-1836) who was a builder and carpenter and also became the Parish Clerk. James was born in Marnhull, Dorset and was one of seven children. His father died when he was four and his mother when he was thirteen so James and his sibling became orphans. Legend has it that he left Marnhull to escape the Press Gangs and was making his way to London when he happened on the village of Feltham and decided to settle there rather than continue to London.

His eldest son William (1789-1853) took over from him as the village builder and undertaker. In those days it fell on the local builder or carpenter to act as the undertaker as they had the necessary skills to make coffins. The term undertaker comes from the phrase ‘to undertake the arrangements’. Although these days we prefer to be called Funeral Directors most people still call us undertakers. William and his wife Charlotte had twelve children between 1823 and 1838.

Their fourth son John (1828-1876) took over the carpentry and undertaking business from his father. John’s older brother William (1824-1902) took over the building business but as far as we know never undertook funerals. John and his wife Emma had eight children and then John died suddenly aged 48 leaving Emma to run the business and raise the children.

Their second son Stanley (1865-1941), named after the finder of Dr.Livingstone, gradually took over the business from his mother, after completing an apprenticeship with a local master carpenter. During the next decade he became a builder in his own right as well and became one of the Church Wardens. Stanley and his wife Janet had four children, two boys and two girls. Both sons George (1896-1965) and William (1902-1977) worked in the business with their father and eventually took over from him when he retired.

In 1939 the building side was closed down, leaving only the carpentry and funeral works. Soon after the war, William bought out his brother George to become sole owner until 1965 when he turned it into a Limited Company and gave each of his three sons, Stanley, William and John an equal share.

In 1972 the three brothers bought their main competitor W. Lock & Sons and the Company has continued to expand through acquisition and by opening new offices. It now has offices in South-West London, Middlesex, Surrey, Wiltshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Its Head Office, Ludlow House, is built on the site of Spring Farm once the home of William Lodge (1824-1902) who ran the building business in the third generation.

LODGE BROTHERS TODAY~

Stanley, William and John have now all retired and their children are responsible for continuing the family tradition of providing funerals and memorials for the local community. Robert, Andrew, Janet, Beverley, Christopher and Michael are the seventh generation of the family to work in the business.

Lodge Brothers achieved the Investors in People Award in July 2002 as recognition for the efforts of the Company and its staff in attaining such high levels of customer care both internally and externally.

As members of the National Association of Funeral Directors we abide by their Code of Practice and strive to uphold the good reputation the Association has gained over the last 100 years as the professions premier association.

In 1989-90 John Lodge was elected President of the Association having previously been President of the London Association of Funeral Directors a honour his nephew Robert Lodge has also held. Lodge Brothers are also members of the National Association of Memorial Masons and abide by their Code of Practice. Christopher Lodge is currently secretary of the London Association of Memorial Masons.

In 2000 Lodge Brothers were invited to join Selected Independent Funeral Homes as recognition of our high standards of professionalism within the Funeral industry. This association has members worldwide and membership is only through invitation. In 2003-4 Andrew Lodge was elected Chairman of the European Group.