Part one dealt with employment, homes and general shopping here. Part two covered sport and leisure plus transport and is available here
Part three dealt with childhood and religion and is available here
Post by Charlotte ...
Looking Swish
Hair and cosmetics:
The hairdresser's in the town in the thirties was Maison George in the High Street. One of the hairdresser's trained there Miss Edith Neighbour ended up trading on her own account as a private hairdresser, offering the trendy permanent wave. You could write to or telephone her for an appointment. In 1935 a whole head permanent wave by Edith would set you back 15 shillings.
A 1930s permanent wave. Picture by Louis Calvete. Creative Commons Licence.CC BY-SA 3.0.
Maison George were agents for Ineco hair dye and "lady's beauty aids".
There were at least five other hairdressers in Marlow apart from Maison George during the 1930s. Maison George gained a serious competitor in 1936 when Milady (as in "my lady") opened at 72 West Street. This was a beauty parlour which also offered high class hairdressing for women and children. It's opening "special offer" was a full head permanent wave for 15 shillings, the same price as Edith Neighbour above charged as her standard price for a full wave so Edith was good value, especially as she would come to your own home to wave your hair.
Perfumes and early cosmetics could be bought from Marlow chemists, though by no means all women routinely wore any makeup let alone a full face look. It was considered especially likely for "country" girls to go make up free. In the 1930s Marlow was still considered to be a country town. Cheap make up was not so easily available as it is today so cost constraints also played a role in determining how many cosmetics if any a woman could wear. The most commonly worn cosmetic product in the 1930s was face powder, usually in a pale shade. Eyebrows were severely plucked into a high arched shape and often darkened. Over plucking meant that a reasonable number of women lost their eyebrows and instead had to draw them on. Lip colour was available in various shades but red won out. Mascara was still applied by brush from a palette. Hollywood glamour looks encouraged fashionable women to exaggerate their lashes as much as possible.
Clothing:
Wedding fashions were surprisingly colourful during the 1930s. Marlow brides often married in white yes, but both pale blue and navy blue were clearly fashionable too and bridesmaids could be in quite violent colour combinations (Bright green, banana yellow and silver anyone?) Green, blue and pink popped up regularly as base colours for bridesmaid gowns. Beige was another surprisingly choice sometimes seen at Marlow weddings. Silver or gold shoes and bags for bridesmaids were popular. Page boys don't get much of a mention as regards their outfits. The only costume I found a detailed reference to was a suit of baby pink velvet worn by one little boy, perhaps not to his greatest satisfaction, in a mid 1930s Marlow wedding.
On their heads local brides wore flower crowns (usually of orange blossom), hats (veiled or otherwise) or veils alone. They often carried bouquets which included heather for good luck. The bride's going away outfit for her honeymoon (usually to Brighton) was as much the focus of attention as her wedding gown. If she could afford it the outfit usually included a fur collar or stole.
Chic everyday outfits for women could be bought at a boutique at no 37 High Street.
Everyday fashion was also available in other Marlow shops or from the department stores of Reading and London. Bespoke dresses could still be ordered from various Marlow dressmakers while the men had Mr Todd the tailor of West Street. Morgan's in Market Square was advertised as a women's outfitter, draper and general clothier for men, women and children. Walter Davis a men and boys' outfitter was in the High Street. Elsie Guttridge offered hats, coats and "frocks" to her female customers.
Men's shirts of the 1930s were plain, striped or checked in white, blue, grey and brown predominantly. They were worn with detachable collars and a suit. The "drape suit" for men, shown below, developed in London and spread throughout Britain in the 1930s. It was notable for a softer, looser fit. Trousers in the 30s were usually high waisted for men with turn up cuffs.
Image is Public Domain. See below for source.
At the annual rowing regatta it was common for men to wear their old school blazers.
When men were relaxing at home they slouched about in wooly cardigans and slippers. Cardigans occur more often in advertisements targeted at men than at women in the 1930s.
As concerns footwear Marlow boasted five boot repair businesses in the late 1930s. Spittal Street was a hotspot for these, with there being three in that street. It was common for men from poorer families to mend the boots of their household of course. For new footwear Millward's boot store operated from no 68 High Street and John Hatton bootmaker from West Street.
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Events of the year=
The New Year= New Year's Eve was sometimes the occasion for dances. In the 1930s it was no longer routine to give New Year greeting cards and gifts as it had been in Victorian and Edwardian times. The night of New Years Eve typically saw Watch Night services (where the past year is reflected on) take place at the Baptist, Wesleyan Methodist and Congregational churches.
The Bucks Free Press of 19th February 1934 declared that Valentine's Day was no longer celebrated as it had been and it was mostly older people who sent cards as the young thought it too old fashioned. It added that the modern taste for the few cards that were sent seemed to be "burlesque". The same paper in 1938 explained to the young readers of its children's column that the sending of Valentine's cards might be little known in their own time but if they asked their grandparents about them they would hopefully hear some funny stories about what used to be sent and received.
St David's Day= There had long been a noticeable presence of those with Welsh origins in Marlow. In 1935 the Chequers in the High Street hosted a St David's Day dinner for Welsh people from the local area. The Archdruid of Wales, John Jenkins, sent them his good wishes.
Easter= churches in Marlow were decorated with flowers including locally gathered primroses if possible. Efforts were also made to bring flowers into the home at Easter time for a festive appearance.
Chocolate Easter eggs were already available, as were chocolate chicks, ducks and bunnies. These were left hollow or filled with sweets or chocolates. The eggs were presented simply with a ribbon tied around them or in an egg cup, a novelty box or a basket. Small eggs made of marzipan were also offered as gifts. In the Jubilee year eggs decorated in a Jubilee theme appeared, as did special edition Coronation eggs in 1937. Poorer children might receive eggs only at their Sunday School or as a charity gift if in hospital at Easter time.
In 1939 at a fundraising dance for the Marlow branch of the British Legion at the Band Hall a giant Easter egg was carried onto the dancefloor, from which out burst Daphne Budd. The little girl performed a ballet dance then distributed chocolate eggs and chickens to those attending.
Hot cross buns and cake in general were always popular at this time of the year. Cookbooks of the era often include Easter simnel cake recipes but I have not found any Marlow adverts for the sale of ready made ones to the public by local bakers. This certainly happened elsewhere in the 30s so is not unlikely in Marlow.
The cinema was not permitted to open on Good Friday or Easter Sunday for religious reasons, however football matches were traditional on Easter Monday, and often occurred on Good Friday and Easter Saturday too.
Easter was of course one of the most popular times of year for weddings.
May Day the pagan tradition of children or young adults collecting a bough of hawthorn blossom and taking it door to door asking for it to be blessed (the bearers given money) was still current in the late Victorian era in Marlow but had almost disappeared by the 1930s.
Empire Day (May) was typically celebrated in Marlow schools with patriotic songs and flag waving. International Stores in the High Street always had a special promotion of their goods which were produced in countries of the Empire around this day.
Whitsun= historically a very busy time on the river at Marlow and the town welcomed large numbers of visitors generally over this holiday. Organized one day tours brought people to the town by coach from across Southern England for a few hours at a time, as did organized combined rail and steam boat tours. Many of these also took their patrons to Windsor Castle. Marlow station was packed with both individual visitors and tour groups at Whitsun and the Marlow lock keeper barely had time to take a breath due to the volume of river traffic. Summer tickets covering the whole Whitsun Holiday could be bought for GWR train services such as those from Marlow. Cycling clubs were common in the 1930s and over Whitsun these regularly stopped off in Marlow when on group rides. At no other time of the year apart from during the Regatta would Marlow have had a livelier appearance.
This holiday was a peak time for motor accidents!
The Regatta= This summer event saw the town decorated with flags. A fair, fireworks and carnival procession accompanied the rowing events. The Regatta is covered in more detail in the sports section of my Life in 1930s Marlow Part Two.
Harvest Thanksgiving services were held in all Marlow churches with produce collected often donated to the Cottage Hospital or sold off for church funds.
Halloween compared with today Halloween was barely marked in this period though some people did take part in light hearted divination games based on the study of apple pips or burning nuts on that day, or told ghost stories. No doubt some mention was made of the famed local ghost of Lady Hoby. The phantom clad in an ethereal long white dress was said to appear at her former home Bisham Abbey every year on Christmas Eve the anniversary of her beating her son to death for blotting his copybook.
Guy Fawke's Night Mention of a firework incident involving Marlow people on Guy Fawkes day can be found under my post Life in 1930s Marlow Part Two, in the transport section. Most local fireworks and bonfires seem to have been unofficial. Children made their guys and asked householders for pennies as a reward. Some Marlow parents ordered their children to not participate in this in the grounds it made them appear to be begging. Large organized fireworks displays were more commonly associated with summer events such as the Regatta and jubilees not only in Marlow but elsewhere too in the 1930s.
Remembrance Day This event always saw a flurry of local newspaper in memoriam notices for loved ones lost in the Great War. There was typically a parade down the High Street on Remembrance Day by the British Legion and local groups such as the Fire Brigade, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. A day close to it would be designated Poppy Day when volunteers (mostly women and boy scouts ) sold wearable poppies door to door and in the streets of Marlow, Little Marlow, Bovingdon Green and Marlow Common. There was also a two minute silence in the day itself.
In 1934 the Congregational Church played live the radio broadcast of the Cenotaph remembrance services. Marlow of course had its own church services of remembrance too.
In 1939 following the outbreak of war it was decided to hold no 2 minutes silence or ceremony at the war memorial but a memorial church service went ahead.
Christmas= The cattle market near the station hosted an Annual Fat Stock Show where farmers sold to butchers their animals for seasonal slaughter. Turkey or a joint of beef were the most common Christmas dinner centrepieces, with the occasional goose. Many also had a ham. It was advised to order your turkey early. Butchers were open to such orders in late November or very early December. Little Marlow Farm was one local place known to have raised turkeys in the 1930s and there was a Seymour Hill Poultry Farm. Shops had a longer Christmas holiday than they do today, with non-food shops generally closing late in Christmas Eve and not reopening until December 28th or 29th
As well as ready made iced fruit cakes, yule logs were offered by local bakers for Christmas, as were mince pies.
Unless it fell on a Sunday there was one delivery of letters and cards on Christmas Day. This compared to the usual two daily deliveries. A separate parcel delivery was made on Christmas Day, as on every working day of the year but not Sundays. More and more families in Marlow had the opportunity to call up their family members on the telephone to wish them a happy Christmas. The week before that celebration in 1938 a record 281 million plus calls were made in the London region alone.
Christmas trees were usually, though not absolutely always, real trees in this period. It was common to decorate them with cotton wool in imitation of snow as well as with baubles, handmade decorations and real candles. Electric "fairy lamps" were also being used for tree decor by 1937 locally. Poor families and other families without children did not necessarily have a tree in their household. Paper chairs, streamers, tinsel or holly were run from the four corners of a room to meet at the central light fitting. Holly and mistletoe were hung from the light fittings or doorways or placed above pictures on the wall.
Wreathes were mostly made of holly. It was normal to lay a holly wreath or holly cross on the grave of a loved one at Christmas.
Once again the ladies of the town came forward to decorate the parish church and Holy Trinity with seasonal greenery and, if available, hothouse flowers. The cottage hospital was also significantly decorated and donors gave food for the patients' Christmas dinner and gifts for them to open on the day.
Football matches (both league and cup ones) were traditional not only on Boxing Day but on Christmas Day itself. Marlow played Wycombe Wanderers on December 25th 1939 to give just one example.
The Compleat Angler in this decade advertised rooms to let for Christmas, saying that dinners, dances and "Bridge Teas" were available to seasonal guests.
Researched and written by Charlotte Day.
©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use this research for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog.
Selected Sources
1931 Marlow Town Guide
Buckinghamshire Advertiser 17th Feb 1939. British Library Archives via the BNA.
Bucks Free Press March 8th 1935 Bucks Free Press Archives.
Kelly's Directory of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire etc 1939 by Kelly's Directories Limited.
1930s football club and regatta literature.
General Research Division, The New York Public Library. "Model No. 905. Three button drape or lounge style; Model No. 906. Two button drape or lounge style; Piped lower pockets." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1940 - 1941. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47dd-fedc-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Personal interview, historic advertising literature.
