Many people have been puzzled or intrigued by the chapel like appearance of the current Masonic centre in St Peter Street Marlow. It's location opposite the Catholic church of St Peter's has often led to the assumption it was built as a kind of parish hall for them. The clue to the true history lies in the family actually responsible for putting it up - the Morgans. They were prominent members of the Salem Chapel as it was then known (Aka Congregational church, now the U.R.C Quoiting Square) and it was for a break away group of worshippers that the building was established as a place of worship.
The Music Room, above. Image ©Colin Groves and used with permission.
A severe break at the Salem Chapel
The story of why there was a significant sundering of the congregation at the Salem Chapel has partly been told already by us in Charlotte's biography of the Rev Thomas Styles (and can be read in more detail here). To sum up, Rev Styles expressed in 1854 a wish to marry a lady that some members of the congregation regarded as an unsuitable choice for a minister. In addition, some thought he shouldn't marry at all as the living they could provide would not be sufficient for a married man. If he did, then resignation should follow they reasoned. Thomas disagreed and married Eliza anyway. You may think that would have been more or less the end of the matter. Not so - a significant number of worshippers lead by Mr Morgan "broke away" from the main congregation and remained so estranged for nearly 10 years. At first they met in the Albion rooms West Street, but in 1855 the breakaway group were planning a purpose built building that would double as a lecture hall for hire. This was not completed until 1861 in St Peter Street and is what we call the Masonic Centre. It was licenced for worship and used as such until 1863.
The press and town as a whole were very much on the side of the Rev Styles. The loss of half his congregation severely dented his income. The deficiency was made up by voluntary donations made by those of all denominations. The South Bucks Free Press thought the dispute was really about internal power struggles within the church and many criticized those who presumed to tell their "respected" minister what to do.
The lecture room opens
In July of 1861 "the lecture room" (and it was then just a single room) opened. Big enough to hold 300 people, it was provided with a stage and state of the art harmonium at one end as well as gas lighting and a hot water heating system. The lighting was a constant source of complaint later but at the time of opening this was a facility with all modern conveniences. The building was designed by Marlow architect Charles Carter and it was completed by our builder Thomas Corby. The first lecture was on "the existing barriers [to the] social, moral, and religious elevation of the people". Temperance lectures were a big feature of the early days too, especially by the Great Marlow Temperance Society.
It was of course also used for worship. The Rev Mitchel was engaged as a probationary minister there and Sunday congregations were regarded as well attended.
Peacemaking?
In 1863 the Rev Styles had finally had enough. He had continued to offer an olive branch to those who had left his church and many had indeed returned to him. Thomas now said he was ready to retire altogether. The breakaway group felt this was an opportunity to reconcile. The question then was of the pension to be offered. Thomas had been living on an income of £30-40 a year which was found to be less than half of what any incoming minister would accept to replace him. But there was those (especially in the breakaway group) who thought the pension of the same amount would have to do. It was felt that as this group had caused the Rev Styles to have to live on such a small sum and were generally the better off, that they should contribute to his pension fund. They initially refused and were accused of trying "to crush and sweep away" Thomas with "a system that shames them". It was noted this was not the first time a such a system of "persecution" had been used to shed a minister. Strong language was used on both sides - one member of the main congregation referred to the breakaways as "illiterate nonentities" for example! In the end Thomas was given the right to live in the Manse for life as well as £40 a year.
A month after Thomas preached his last sermon, a "re-union" meeting was held in the lecture room, presided over by church member Joseph Wright of Marlow Mills. He said they were gathered to "give assistance and counsel to the little cause in Marlow now making an attempt to recover it's position once enjoyed". A visiting preacher pleaded for all to forgive and be forbearing.
Lectures? No thanks!
With the lecture hall no longer needed for purposes of worship, it was kept open for the secondary role as a sort of public hall. Unfortunately as such it was initially a failure. The main users were groups who would otherwise have used the Salem Chapel schoolrooms and when the rift was healed, they generally did so. The Mutual Improvement Society did hire it for educational talks but these were poorly attended. In 1864 the lecture room was declared a failure. The Rev Millman of All Saints (Anglican) then took a lease of the premises for 5 years for use as the National Girls School. (They got their own premises in 1870.) In 1867 Owen Peel Wethered of Marlow's well known brewing family bought the freehold. He intended to use it as a public hall for hire. It would soon generally be known as the Music Room as it was often used for concerts and choral union meetings.
The Music Room - respectable audience only please
In the 1870s the shift from educational and temperance related offerings to more general entertainment was complete. Both the Literary and Scientific Institute and Mutual Improvement Society still used the facilities on occasion but attendance was usually reported as poor. The emphasis was on respectable entertainment - for example when Mrs Howard Paul visited in 1877 to offer songs and impressions we are reassured that there was "an utter absence of anything coarse or objectional"..
Other best selling Victorian events included an exposure of the sleight of hand used by spiritualist mediums, a recreated Japanese village as part of an exhibition of their craft, displays of photographs, Pepper's Ghost, and magic lantern exhibitions. My favourite event though was a show in 1883 of curiosities and artefacts collected by local people. A polariscope, stuffed skunk, photographs of microscopic algae from the USA, a portion of the wrecked HMS Eurydice, a calculating machine and a display of ferns were amongst the eclectic items on display.
In 1888 the Music Room was licenced for dramatic performances and these would be a big feature going forward. In the 1880s the room had been used more by travelling troupes or showman. As these were sometimes regarded as a little noisy and not educational enough, a decision was made by the Wethereds in 1894 that the music room would no longer be available to showman or groups not resident in Marlow (unless taking part in a Marlow organised fundraising event such as for the cottage hospital.)
As gymnasium and cinema
In the 1890s the music room became home to the Marlow Gymnastic club - you can read more on those energetic fellows here
It's other significant use was as Marlow's first regular cinema from 1911-1913 - again the full story has been told in a post - here
As the Public Hall
In 1906, the Wethered family sold the freehold of the music room to a small limited company of Marlow men including prominent Congregationalists William J Morgan and Joseph Dorsett. The new owners say it will be now known as the Public Hall - although the Music Room name stuck for a long time! They made some additions to the building and improvements to the lighting.
In the Edwardian era it saw meetings of the Woman's Freedom League and Suffragette groups - usually interrupted by belligerent young men armed with whistles, cow bells and mouth organs.
Afterwards
The story of the buildings use in the First and Second World Wars will be covered in another post. The Freemasons bought the freehold in 1934.
NB. The Rev Alexander Henderson also resigned as the Congregational minister specifically in order to get married - after the congregation voiced "doubts" about whether he should. (1883)
Post written and researched by Kathryn Day.
© MarlowAncestors
Related posts:
Index of church and chapel related posts (all denominations):here
For other posts about St Peter's Street or other specific buildings see here
Votes for women? Marlow discussions on the issue here
Sources include :
Charlotte's research on Rev Thomas Styles
Marlow Directory 1891
Kelly's Directory 1889
Marlow Almanack and Directory 1903, 1907, 1915.
South Bucks Free Press 13th December 1857, 8th August 1860, 26th July 1861 2nd February, 27th March, 19th June, 4th July & 28th August 1863, 23rd January 1864, 27th September 1867, 26th October 1883, 30th November 1888, 15th May 1908
Reading Mercury 3rd August 1861, 17th Jan 1863, 24th February 1877, 12th September 1885
Bucks Advertiser & Aylesbury News 29th August 1863
Bucks Herald 127th October 1877
Maidenhead Advertiser 14th February 1894
South Bucks Standard 6th July & 26th October 1906
Information on the Congregational Church as was from Martin Ashford with thanks.
© MarlowAncestors
Part One covered sport and leisure, Part two dealt with homes and employment.
Post by Charlotte
Transport
Car ownership while not uncommon was far from universal in the 1950s so bus services and trains as well as cycling were important to local people trying to get from A to B. Currall's Garage in the High Street offered repairs and sales for those lucky enough to have their own car and of course there was Platts garage too. Platts was a Morris and M.G dealer. The Maple Garage in Little Marlow Road was an Esso and Ford dealership. Unusually for the times it opened for the sale of petrol on a Sunday. Petrol rationing continued into the 1950s meaning careful thought needed to be made about whether any journey was necessary. A couple of petrol pumps stood ready outside Comptons cycle shop in West Street for any motorists who pulled up kerbside. Marlow Bottom wasn't to be left out, Witches Barn Garage still operated in the village.
A Mr or Mrs Cook of Marlow had a red upholstered 1953 second hand Austin A30 for sale as advertised in the Reading Mercury 1958 for a bargain £415.
See a pic of the A30 on Wikipedia here.
Daniel Gibbons of 19 York Road had previously operated as a secondhand car and other vehicle dealer but I haven't found any reference to him still doing that in the 1950s. He was definitely still operating as a rag and bone man however, which was previously his sideline.
George Bason of 18 Wycombe Road sold secondhand motorbikes and offered repairs.
Mr Sylvester of 41 West Street was a driving instructor, possibly the only one in town at first.
Driving could have its hazards then as now. Heavy snows of February and early March 1958 saw buses unable to reach High Wycombe and the roads out of town to Henley and Stokenchurch were blocked for all traffic.
More bizarrely the road at the foot of Bisham Hill was covered in jam for hours following a collision involving a truck carrying several tons of the sweet stuff in 1958. What a sticky situation.
Concerns about the weight of the traffic crossing Marlow Bridge have dogged the structure since the 1800s. Increased weight restrictions on vehicles using the bridge and emergency structural repairs to it were both needed in the 1950s. Thames Valley services from Maidenhead stopped crossing the bridge in 1958 because of new weight restrictions. Instead passengers got on and off in Quarry Wood Road.
Other bus services connected Marlovians to Reading and High Wycombe. The Marlow-Little Marlow-Bourne End service however came to an end in the 1950s because too few people were using it at a time when petrol rationing meant bus companies had to ensure every bus they sent out on a journey had earned it's share of the limited petrol supplies available.
Bicycles were available to buy from C. A Boddy in the High Street. Like quite a few other cycle suppliers in this time period he also supplied prams. Well, they both have wheels, I suppose. The Boddys also sold toys. Another cycle agent was Comptons in West Street, also a motorcycle seller and as mentioned above a petrol supplier
Marlow still had a full sized railway station in the 1950s.
Childhood
Schools
The 1958 Marlow Town Guide lists the Girls' school as being in Oxford Road and the Boys' one in Wethered Road as well as Sir William Borlase School (then just for boys and both a boarding and day school) in West Street. They obviously hadn't updated themselves from their previous edition as the schools had in fact been totally reorganised in 1954. A good lesson in treating all historical sources even very official seeming ones with caution. Back to school for the guide authors we say! The boys' school had been transformed into a unisex secondary school known as All Saints Secondary School. The future site of Great Marlow School was purchased by the council in 1957 though it would not be developed into a secondary school for several more years. Bigger premises were sorely needed as All Saints Secondary School was bursting at the seams. Until further schools opened in Stokenchurch and High Wycombe children from Lane End and Cadmore End had to attend the Marlow school. Overcrowding meant that the school was not able to offer the G.C.E exam, as extra classes for the pupils who wished to study for it could not be physically accommodated. Any children who wanted to pursue post 15 education elsewhere would be helped to find avenues to it where possible however.
Reach for the stars, kids
As well as not having to take exams the pupils of All Saints weren't required to do homework - until the teachers got the unwelcome idea to try it in 1955. At first only some classes fell victim but from September 1956 the whole school was told to expect compulsory homework unless they had a parental letter of exemption. Such exemptions might be because the child helped in the family business, looked after younger siblings or simply because the family did not believe that school work should be allowed to encroach in family together time (this latter was a common sentiment).
At their speech day in 1956 the speaker was an Air Vice marshall who told the children that they were lucky to be growing up in the Atomic Age as there would be lots of exiting opportunities for them. He predicted interplanetary travel might be an established fact by the late 1980s or early 90s.
In 1958 at the Borlase School speech day the guest speaker was t.v personality and criminologist John Watson who told the boys that in order to be happy men they would need two things- the right job and right wife. He warned them that a "safety first" attitude in life would be dangerous to them (not necessarily in reference to choosing a wife).
Borlase converted part of the original school building into a flat for the caretaker and a recreation room for the school masters during the 1950s. Mr Hazelton, the Head in 1957 said that in the next year there would be around 350 pupils at his school including 80-90 boys in the Sixth Form. This he felt represented a school that had grown too fast to keep up with itself.
The 1958 Town Guide also makes no mention of Foxes Piece School which was built between 1954-56, initially just as an infant's school with only three classrooms. The rest of the grounds were used as sports fields for other Marlow schools. Foxes Piece was only meant to be a temporary school at first. However it was extended and became a full junior school for 5-12 year olds in the 1960s. More on the early days of this school and the history of the Foxes Piece area is available in my post here.
Another point upon which the Town Guide was well out of date on was the fact that the Oxford Road school was then functioning as another infant school. A premises in St Peters Street (which had also previously functioned as the Girls' School) was in 1954 turned into a mixed junior school (middle school). There was a mixed Catholic school in St Peter Street too. At Medmenham children attended the village school. Danesfield was of course yet to exist.
Dial Close, a private school for girls operated from the Causeway. Another private girls school Wycombe Court was located at Lane End but put on buses to bring in Marlow pupils. It had a unisex kindergarten.
When they weren't being drilled in the three Rs or receiving questionable life advice from a criminologist, there were numerous leisure opportunities for our younger Marlovians.
Hobbies, toys and clubs
Owning a television was becoming increasingly common in the town. British children with a set might already be watching 2 hours of television every day according to research quoted in the book A Century of Childhood. A t.v show detailing the adventures of American Davy Crockett led to a mass childhood craze of wearing a Davy Crocket style mock fur hat. I haven't been able to find evidence of these on sale in Marlow but Bonners Superstore in High Wycombe certainly offered them and was only a bus ride away.
Model airplanes and games could be bought from Moretons (primarily a bee keeping supplies shop!) in West Street. The children of the secondary school and if the former boys' school kept bees on the premises and produced their own honey so they may actually have enjoyed browsing the bee keeping supplies while they were there. Toys were also available from the Woolworths in Market Square, from the Boddy's BTC toy shop in the High Street and from Jane Ann's in West Street which offered Meccano, Dinky, Triang and Hornby ranges amongst others. The small department store W.J Daniels in Market Square had an upstairs toy department.
The Marlow Sea Cadets , just for boys, formed in 1956 though they did not yet have their own premises and met initially at All Saints Secondary School. A Boys Club, Boy Scouts and Girl Guides already existed. The latter met in a hut in Quarry Wood Road.
Higginson Park, Riley Park (usually then called Riley Recreation Ground), Gossmore and Seymour Park were all open spaces available to play in while a children's paddling place was set up in an enclosed section of the River Thames in 1958. This was in addition to the official Bathing Place Marlow then had in the Thames at Quarry Woods for both adults and children.
Not all the outdoor activities of 1950s Marlow children would meet our approval today. Butterfly and bird egg collecting were still quite widely practiced by some children, mostly little boys. I used to have a 1950s children's butterfly book previously owned by a local boy in which the young reader is given detailed instructions as to how to use poison to suffocate a trapped butterfly and warned that sniffing or accidentally consuming the recommended poisons might kill him too. A repurposed soft drinks bottle was recommended as a carrying vessel for such poisons. Fail! Though Mr Watson the safety-last criminologist probably approved.
For sources for this series of posts see Part One. Researched and written by Charlotte Day.
©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use this research for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog.
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