York Road was officially adopted as a name for this new road in December 1884. There were some houses already up which had been referred to as York Villas so the new name made sense.
Most of the early development seems to have been on the Dean Street side. The land had previously been in agricultural use. Though mostly residential there was also space in York Road for some businesses. Thomas Lomax ran a flour, coal and petrol dealership there in the late 1880s and there were two marine store dealers too. These had nothing to do with marine occupations despite the name. They were second hand sellers which dealt with goods primarily of interest to trade and business buyers- old pipes, nails, rope, agricultural implements, hand tools, barrels, timber etc. Some marine store dealers had shops but many like the York Road ones traded simply out of sheds and open yards Daniel Clark's premises seem to have been Queen's Road end on the Oxford Road side. Though marine store keepers had to be licensed it was seen as a low class and slightly suspicious occupation. Many operated close to the edges of the law or beyond them. Daniel Clark, in York Road by 1891, was certainly a ne'er do well, pulling dodgy deals and, much worse, ill using both his horse and his wife Annie. She successfully applied for a separation order from him in 1908 after years of cruelty, seemingly fueled by alcohol. She later returned to him.
His full name was Cooper Daniel Clark.
In 1917 Daniel and Annie, given as residing at number 19 York Road, received news that their two sons, previously listed as missing after "the fight for Kut" in January were now regarded as both presumed killed in action. These were Private S and Private Harold Clark, 4th Hampshire Regiment [Sidney born 1892 and Harold 1895]*
The couple's daughter Lydia was a cook but also helped her father out in his business, sometimes driving his "van" (horse drawn) though not without some brushes with the law as a result.
The other late Victorian marine store dealer of York Road was the apparently respectable Mr Simmonds. He dealt hay and straw from the address too but while he had his sheds in the road he himself lived in nearby Dean Street.
What about other occupations?
In the male residents there was a noticeable number of gardeners mentioned in various records, mostly domestic but there were commercial market gardens off nearby Queen's Road that also would have potentially employed some of them.
Charles Sellman was an Edwardian painter and decorator resident in the street.
To read more about midwife Sarah Ann Price of number 7 York Road in the early 1900s see this post dedicated to her.
As you can see most of the first residents of York Road were working class but there were a few with more money to burn. When resident of Merton Cottage York Road Mary Plaistowe died in 1892 the contents of her home were auctioned off giving us via a report of this in the South Bucks Standard of 19th February 1892 [via the BNA / British Library Collaboration] a glimpse into her comfortable home. Mary could boast a marble topped wash stand, multiple pieces of mahogany furniture, a good piano and a harmonium. She must have enjoyed games as she had a loo table (for the card game loo) and a bagatelle board too. She was probably the only York Road resident with buffalo horns on the wall.
Mary was the widow of Richard and had moved to the town from Great Missenden.
Above, homes in the street looking sturdy and ready to last through the ages but not all homes in the street started out with the quality they show today. Serious concerns about the standard of the building of some of the houses (which ones not specified) lead to forced remedial work, including to retaining walls, not long after they were erected on pain of them being condemned otherwise. Jerry building was very common in late Victorian times in the rush to build enough new homes. Properties in nearby Eton Place and Queens Road built around the same time were also problematic with some being pulled down scarcely a generation after being put up due to low quality workmanship. The remedial builders in York Road thankfully did a good job and we still have this attractive street in the town today.
York Road was one of the earliest streets in the town laid out with all properties having running water available.
Post researched and written by Charlotte Day with additional research and photos by Kathryn Day.
To find posts dedicated to other specific streets or houses in Marlow see on the menu under "Specific Shops, Streets...Etc". All mentions of an individual on the blog can be found listed on the Person Index.
*posts on Marlow in World War One
©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to reuse this information for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog.
Other Sources included:
Census, Charlotte's transcription from microfilm.
Kellys Directories of Bucks etc published by Kelly's Directories Limited 1911, 1915.
Maidenhead Advertiser 24th December 1884, held at the British Library and accessed via the BNA, October 2020.
Thanks to Jane Pullinger for access to private family material.
