Updated by Charlotte October 2024
This post is updated as new information emerges.
1823 - George Davis - "Checkers"
1830 - George Davis
1833 - George Davis
1839 - David Davis "Checkers Inn". David was described as a liquor merchant in 1832. Wife Elizabeth nee Pecover of Reading.
1843 - George Davis
1845 - David Davis. Suffered serious break of his knee that year after falling down the cellar stairs while carrying several bottles of wine. It proved difficult to set and was thought likely to leave David with a limp.
1853 - David Davis "The Checkers"
1864 - David Davis
1865 - David Davis "The Chequers Inn" transferred premises to Edwin Nicholls (2nd source gives name as Edward)
1869 - Ed. Nicholls
1871 - Ed. Nicholls (also carpenter)
1872 - Edwin Nicholls
1876 - Edwin's wife Ann confronted two men that she caught robbing the till. She was the one serving at the time. The men were later jailed.
1877 - Ed. Nicholls (also builder)
1880 1. Edwin Nicholls 2. William James Lovegrove
1881 - William J Lovegrove (2. James Warne Udy ?) "Chequers Inn"
1882 - Lewis Wade, real name Edward Wade, bought the business.
1883 - Lewis Wade [Edward]. Licence would not be renewed for Lewis after a short time at the helm as he was considered to operate a "badly conducted house". In particular the serving of beer after hours. After numerous complaints, Sergeant Maneely of Marlow police organised a watch on the premises and caught Lewis seeing beer some time after last orders should have been called. An attempt for the drinkers to flee out the rear was unsuccessful! 2. John Finch (hold over, John often stepped in to temporarily look after a premises while a permanent landlord acceptable to the authorities was found. He is also at the Cherry Tree this year, and see also the Bank Of England) 3. Edwin Greetham. (Creetham?)
1887 - John D W Meres/Merer. 2. John Phillips. John was previously a coachman to Col O P Wethered.
1888 - John Phillips
1892/3 - John Phillips transfers premises to WT Shaw.
1895 - Premises extended into adjacent house. Now has large "coffee room" as well, opening onto the lawn at the rear, the latter which has a private entrance from Institute Rd. The hotel can also boast of a bathroom (singular) with hot and cold running water. Has a separate 26 x 20 foot billiard room with a dais each side of the room to allow spectators to more easily view matches. This was made by the Marlow based Buckinghamshire Chair Co from wood grown at Thames Bank and Quarry Wood. The hotel also has a sitting room for guests, and at the front, both a public and private bar. It also acts as a depot from which "telephonic conversations" can be had.
1899 - William Thomas Shaw
1903 - W.T. Shaw "hotel and billiard room"
1904 - W T Shaw (see ad below)
1909 - WT Shaw. Premises are on the telephone already.
1910 - Mr Shaw retires. John Kelpen Ellis takes over. Ellis comes from the Crown Hotel, Cookham. Lasts less than a year. Succeeded by WH Dawe.
1905 advert above
1915 - Mrs W Dawe
1920,21 - Mrs Lillian Long
1939 - Clarence Leopold Stanley
Notes -
Many Marlow landlords changed premises multiple times. Some places changed in how they were described over time- so licenced premises listings on this blog take in not just beer houses, pubs and inns but common lodging houses and hotels which sold alcohol too. We mainly focus on pre WW1 or 1920s listings but sometimes list later names if it ties in with someone's research we are helping with.
Related Posts:
There are posts on this blog about individual families associated with certain pubs, as well as on individual pubs themselves so have a look at the Pub Related index here & don't forget the Person Index for all mentions of someone on this blog. Find it on the top drop down menu.
Posts about life in the High Street and neighbouring streets here
More beer sellers than bakers -Temperance in Marlow here
Lists of posts about everyday life in old Great Marlow here
SOME SOURCES :
1853 Mussons and Cravens Commercial Directory (Compiled 1852)
Bucks Herald 28 October 1865, held at British Library and accessed via the BNA November 2020
South Bucks Standard - 14 October, 1892, 22 February 1895, 27 May 1910 as above
Berkshire Chronicle October 25 1845
1833 Parochial Assessment. Original notebooks held by my family and transcribed by Charlotte.
Kelly's Post Office Directory 1864, 1869, 1877, 1883, 1903. Published by Kelly's Directory's Limited. Accessed via Google Books December 2020 - March 2021.
Pigots Directory 1823, 1830
Robson's Directory 1839
Census 1871,1881,1891. Transcriptions from microfilm by Charlotte.
Numerous court cases, property records, licence hearing reports etc.
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