Arthur is a cheerful man who finds solace in gardening that in 1985 he rents a plot at the neighborhood allotment and uses it as an escape from his nagging wife and mother-in-law.
For a number of years, Arthur has been able to keep himself busy by taking on various odd jobs. Aside from sweeping the streets of the Turpin Road Market, he also helps Tony Carpenter with deliveries. During the year 1986, he works for Walford Cleaning Services, cleaning schools in the area.
Arthur and his son Mark have a strained relationship at first, and by 1985, Mark has turned to crime as a result. Mark comes back to the Square in 1991 to announce that he is HIV positive after being away for some time. Unfortunately, Arthur’s lack of knowledge about HIV causes him to react fearfully to the news of his son’s illness. Mark eventually aids Arthur in accepting his condition, and the two develop a strong friendship in the years that follow.