Early 20th Century Station Road Businesses Part One

NOTE: numbers given here are the numbers as they were then.

Post by Charlotte...

Right Hand Side (St Peter Street side) 

The Marlow Directory And Almanack of 1907 gives the first occupier on this side of the Street as C.H Carter, baker. That is Charles Henry Carter but his was the large corner premises on the Station Road and Causeway corner and these would be more usually considered to be in the Causeway (as that's where the main door was) so we will pass by him for now.

The first proper shop entrance you would come across was instead that of Miss Lydia Heal dressmaker. She'd first asked permission to fit a shop window into the property front in 1899 but she had already been plying her craft as a dressmaker in Marlow for 11 years by then. Many such businesswomen did not have shops, though to do so would be their ultimate ambition if possible. Even though she may not have had a proper shop window in which to display her goods from the start of her career she certainly lived in the exact same Station Road premises and met her clients there by 1891. A 1903 advert in the South Bucks Standard thanked the "nobility and gentry" for their previous business and said that she would now be continuing "the business" on her own account. So it seems that earlier she was in a business partnership with someone else, even though only she is named in the application for the shop front alterations. The advert promises a good fit and moderate prices. Lydia tells us that she sells fancy drapery, millinery, underwear, corsetry, gloves, lace and ribbon as well as operating as a dressmaker. In 1910 lace was advertised as a speciality of her shop. In the same year winter suits are mentioned as being on display there.

We know Lydia still sold ready made underwear in 1906 as a woman pretending to live in nearby Station Villas took some away with her on approval to show an alleged sister but never brought the items back or paid for them, neither did the alleged sister materialize to do so. The same woman defrauded another Marlow clothes retailer around the same time using the same ruse. It might seem remarkably, even foolishly, trusting to allow a stranger to take valuable items from your shop on trust without paying for them but the practice of having clothing items on approval was not uncommon at the time. In order to qualify you would have to appear "respectably" dressed however. 

Passing the residential property of dairy farmer Augustus Creswell at no 9 (who kept some of his cows out back not to the best pleasure of the sanitary inspectors) we next come to James Faulkner the bootmaker at number 11.

A man whose premises seem to move about on this side of the road was photographer Ernest A. Hewett. He was certainly on this side of the street in all scenarios, and in most was given as being at no 17 so we'll slot him in our list here.

Cycle maker, coach builder and wheelwright H. H Mathews lived (at least for a time) at 21 Station Road but operated his business further along at number 35. He was apparently Henry Harold but was often known just by his middle name. There is also a reference to a Horace Mathews cycle agent in the same premises though that may be a mistake. H.H Mathews certainly operated alongside Harold Haine, motor engineer and cycle maker who eventually entirely took over the business at some point between 1915 and 1920. Harold Haine was a Raleigh cycle agent, amongst other things. He came from Egham Surrey originally. In 1907 an Albert Barnes worked for a H Mathews at no 35.

Between the home of H Mathews and his business premises was (by 1903) Mrs Ann Cockayne who let apartments at her home "St Clare", Woodham's Dairy, Walter Lovegrove the auctioneer (who met a tragic end see his biography post here ), a grocery shop at nos 27-29 run firstly by H W Britnell and then by Raymond G Ford and his wife Lily, and Smewings the tobacconist-come- newsagents.

Mrs Cockayne the landlady was in business at St Clare (sometimes given as St Claire) by 1899. She was then in her late 60s and by 1911 had retired and moved out. In the early 1890s there had been 4 apartment proprietors at the town end of Station Road as well a boarding house and two further apartment rental buildings at the station end of the road, all with a residential owner. The private lodgings trade in Station Road had clearly dropped off a lot by the second decade of the 1900s though some of that loss was due to similar properties springing up in Glade Road and elsewhere in the town rather than for a lack of desire for furnished apartments. Ann Cockayne herself became a lodger with a family in nearby South Place.

Annie Smewing ran the tobacconist come newsagents at number 31, with her husband Henry assisting her and being the name above the door but mainly being a gardener and groom employed elsewhere at The Lawn. Henry was one of the committee members at Marlow Football Club and one of Marlow's volunteer firefighters in the Edwardian age. In the 1930s this was Morris tobacconist and newsagent.

Also near to these shops was another dairy in 1907, Hornsby's. Presumably this was connected to the Hornsby's who kept a small dairy herd at Wood Barn Farm, Little Marlow. See here for more on them. Be warned - that post contains mention of serious animal cruelty.

Next along in terms of commercial premises in the mid 1910s was tobacconist C.O Mathews which probably became by 1920 the tobacco and confectionery shop of Mrs Annie Truss (who was definitely at no 37). She was still there in 1924 when she served hot drinks too. Probably she remained in business until her death in 1931. Annie, formerly Bailey, was the wife of Albert Truss, a man jailed at least four times prior to his 1916 marriage to Annie for failing to maintain his illegitimate children by Fanny Louisa Penfold. When jailed he frequently laughed in court. By trade Albert was a boatman though apparently reluctant to work. Prior to his marriage he was "kept" by his brother who was landlord of the Two Brewer's pub in St Peter Street. 

At 39 was the tiny premises of George Gardner AKA George Gardiner the greengrocer and fruiterer by 1920. George did not spend many years in the shop here. He was the grandson of Clara and William Gardner /Gardiner /Gardener of the Nags Head pub in Dean Street, see here.

Our next Station Road businesspeople on this side of the road were the Ways. Robert was a cabinet maker and shopkeeper early in the 1900s and adjoining his premises was the tiny Wheatsheaf pub. This was run by Thomas Way senior until his retirement in 1905 in favour of his son Thomas junior. Thomas junior remained landlord until at least 1921 but was gone by 1939. More on the Way family of the Wheatsheaf, including both Thomas Ways in my biographical post here. 

Finally on this side of the road in terms of commercial property we come to the Railway Hotel across from the station. For a history of this pub / hotel including the early 1900s landlords of these premises see this post.

The other side of the road will be featured in another post in the future along with businesses which we cannot firmly place to one side or the other.

Written and researched by Charlotte Day 

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use my research for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog.

Selected Sources:

Marlow Directory and Almanack 1907 and 1915 editions, Marlow Printing Company. Marlow Directory 1891, Marlow Publishing Company.

"England and Wales, Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:26FV-PWY : 13 December 2014), Albert Truss and null, 1916; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1916, quarter 4, vol. 3A, p. 1914, Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.

South Bucks Standard May 6th 1899, April 3rd 1903 and 10th August 1906 British Library Archives via the BNA.

Kelly's Post Office Directory of Bucks etc 1911, 1915 and 1920 editions. Kelly's Directories Limited.

The Wretched - Poverty in Victorian & Edwardian Marlow

 When we walk around the older streets in Marlow, with their comfortable Victorian villas, pretty Edwardian terraces and spacious Georgian homes, we might feel that Marlow was a pleasant and comfortable place to live for our Marlow predecessors. And for many, that's exactly what it was. But there has always been two sides to the story, and it is sometimes hard to appreciate just how grindingly poor and badly housed some of Marlow's workers actually were. The scenes of the worst of this, from the "abominable slum" St Peters Court, off St. Peters Street, the old homes of the miserably unsanitary Hayes Place, and the densely crowded areas around Dean Street have been demolished and removed almost as thoroughly from the collective memory. In our posts we hope to make sure that the lives of the poorer members of our town also get remembered. The story of St. Peters Court, the cholera outbreaks there, and Hayes Place have been covered by us before and the posts are linked to below. This entry covers a few aspects of life for the less well off in the Victorian and Edwardian era in Great Marlow. 

Wretched homes in wretched streets

In an 1847 guide to the Thames and the town's and villages nearby, the author said that Marlow still had a "very poor reputation". The homes about the "meaner streets" had a "wretched, poverty stricken aspect" where there were more evident signs "of vice forcing themselves on the attention than is at all common in country times of the same size and class." The streets he meant were almost certainly Dean Street and those around such as Gun Lane, Providence Place and the like. These were centres of the poaching and wood stealing industries, and had a good share of beer sellers. (Spittal/Chapel Street, West Street, Church Passage/lower St Peters Street and Quoiting Square could boast more beer sellers in concentration however at this point.)  Although the beer houses were criticized for harbouring criminals and driving poverty through the purchase of alcohol, they also had a role in relieving it. Apart from often providing affordable accomodation, they also organised the slate clubs. (See below). 

So just how bad were these less than appealing homes of the poor? As an example of just how terrible conditions could be, we will look at 5 houses in Dean Street condemned as unfit for human habitation in 1875. These 5 one bedroom cottages were adjoining one another, and all belonged to James Meakes. It was discovered that 4-7 people were living in each of these tiny residences. The roof of one has partially fallen in, and that of the others was not watertight. And neither were the exterior walls which all had holes in. They shared a tumbled down privy which had an incredibly offensive odour. Further more, water came in under the doors both front and back when it rained. James Meakes eventually made the cottages in a livable condition, but only after ignoring two notices to improve them and subsequently recieving an order that they must be closed up and no longer let to anyone. 

A glimmer of hope

A poorly maintained house with questionable sanitation and iffy drinking water wells may be bad enough, but a short period of illness and unemployment could make even these unaffordable. One way of providing a buffer against these type of events was to join either one of these slate clubs, or a friendly or benefit society. These varied slightly in terms, but generally the point was to pay in a regular weekly or monthly sum in exchange for claiming a payout in the event of a accident etc. Any unclaimed money paid in was usually shared out by the slate clubs at the end of the year amongst the fully paid up members. In 1839, the Royal Standard Benefit Society was started at the Clayton Arms in Quoiting Square. The monthly subscription was 2s6d. It was a large national organisation. If a member was sick, and unable to work a weekly sum was given to them to meet expenses. If they died, the bereaved family recieved £20 or £10 if the deceased was the spouse of the member. The lying in of a members wife (that is the period around her giving birth) resulted in a £2 payment. A loss of household property from fire, imprisonment for debt, and an order to go to the workhouse were also covered. The conditions of joining this society with its superior benefits were unsurprisingly stiff. You could only join for the first time if you were under 35 years old (although you could remain a member until 45) and you needed a minimum income of 24 shillings a week. In addition, your character must bear the strictest investigation! 

The Clayton Arms still had a slate club at the end of the Victorian period but it was now run independently. (The last version was re-started in 1892) Unlike many clubs, this later club had no upper age limit for its members. It also had secured the huge benefit of offering subsidised medical attention to it's members for an additional payment of 1s a quarter. (Courtesy of Dr Culhane). By the late 1890s membership cost 6d a week, payable monthly. This entitled the member to up to six weeks sick pay at 10s a week. In 1893 it had 49 members. By 1898 it had 100. This club took an additional payment of a shilling from all members should one of their number die, to help pay for the funeral. (Or 6d from every member if one of their spouses died to the same end.) They would allow late payment of dues within reason, but you were fined for doing so. Committee members not turning up to meetings also recieved a soft fine, all profits to club funds. 

The slate clubs were most prolific in the Victorian era, with just about every pub hosting one at one point or another. But several continued into the Edwardian era and beyond for example at The Ship in West Street, Two Brewers of St. Peters Str,  The Plough in Little Marlow Rd, Prince Of Wales, Mill Rd, and the Royal Oak in Bovingdon Green. 

Death preferred to the Workhouse

Poor relief was available for some, but there were exceptions - including those with illegitimate children who were barred from recieving outdoor relief at some points (that is help recieved outside of being admitted to the workhouse directly). Relief had to be applied for, and may not be granted. Some would quite literally die rather than be admitted to the "poor house". An extreme example of this was elderly ex agricultural labourer Mr Gardner who lived near Wymers Farm. He had become "somewhat incapacitated" and as such had been able to procure little work to support himself and his wife. Labouring was physically demanding even for the relatively young and agile. They had little if anything in the way of savings. Gardner had applied for parochial aid and duly received it it seems on a couple of occasions. In 1876, he was forced to ask for help again. It was the middle of winter and a difficult time to procure work at the best of times. The order this time was made that he must be admitted to the workhouse. This he could not bear, and the poor man slit his throat with a razor. He was found by his devastated wife on her return from running an errand.

Coal and Clothing Clubs

On a more positive note, efforts were made by the better off to ease some of the burden of poverty. Sometimes this was framed as educating the poor to budget, well intentioned if sometimes patronising and/or unrealistic. A Penny Savings bank was established, usually operating from the boys schoolroom in the Causeway. Regular saving was sometimes rewarded by the addition of a little top up to funds by the supporters of the Bank. It was wound up in 1888 after a period of at least 10 years. 

In the late 1880s and 1890s the Parish Church came up with a few helpful schemes. Children attending the Sunday school could pay in a minimum of 1d at a time to join a clothing club which gave them access to reduced price items to wear. There was also a clothing club for adults. Those interested in that would ask for a "club card" from one of the supporters of the initiative. Then each Monday, the member needed to go the Vicarage and pay in a minimum of a penny to club funds. At the end of the year (November in club terms) those who had made a minimum number of payments would have their "card" topped up with a bonus for the purchase of clothing later. A coal club ran in a similar way, between May to November and also attracted an end of season bonus. I'm not sure whether the coal group purchased fuel during the summer months when it was a little cheaper, to sell at a subsidised rate as was the case in some other Coal Clubs. 

A very difficult couple of years

The terrifically cold winters of 1894/5 caused much misery. Many men were reliant on outdoor manual labour to earn their living. This was especially true of those without a steady year round job who took work when and where they could.  But prolonged frost, and flooding made much of the planned works impractical. No jobs meant no pay. A large number was described as in "real straits" by February 1895. A committee was set up to see what could be done to help them. Local people were implored to offer work. Mrs Allam rose to the challenge and found employment for 138 men over two days working at stone breaking at her gravel pitts. One of these occasions was captured by local photographers Scott & Smith of the High Street in Marlow. Others worked on projects for the local council, widening roads near Marlow Bottom and Seymour Court, under orders from the Parish surveyors. I believe subscribers to this work fund subsidised the wages of those so employed, to encourage their employment in sufficient numbers. Initial work was given as a priority to married men, on the presumption they would have at least a spouse if not children also dependent on them. Work was however also offered to single men which must have been an especial relief to those with other kinds of dependents. 

The vicar started a fund to pay for the breakfasts of the poor children who could not concentrate on their schoolwork on empty stomachs. Lady Higginson, a devoted patron of Bovingdon Green school, organised the same free breakfasts there, free and at her own expense. Altogether about 75 children were said to be reliant on these free meals in early February. 100 of the worst off of the families also received a gift of coal, some of it also paid for by Lady Higginson. 

Although the weather in 1894/5 was extreme, there were several other times that similar schemes were both needed and offered. For example in 1904 within hours of a register of unemployed men being opened, 35 men had put their names down to ask for work in any capacity that could be found. Although it could not be guaranteed that employment would be forthcoming for all, local businesses were implored to do their best, mostly "unskilled" labouring by the day. 

Begging in the streets

It is not difficult to find evidence of regular beggars appearing in Marlow throughout this period. Some were moved on, several arrested. Sometimes promising to leave town and not return would allow them to escape punishment, especially later on. That is if they did not live here permanently. Some begged house to house, others in the streets. But there were also home grown examples, especially children. Sometimes the children were performing a little trick, tumble or dance for a few coins and perhaps we would call the enterprising youngsters buskers or street performers now! But in 1903, persistent complaints to the council of child begging in the streets, resulted in a police crackdown. However 5 years later, two youngsters of the Bowles family had been seen repeatedly begging for food or coins in Glade Rd. They had became a regular at the home of kind Mrs Thomas. She succinctly shut down the questions of those who asked why she had been "encouraging"  them, by stating the children looked thin and had told her they were hungry and their father out of work. The following year, a group of Hunger Marchers passed through Marlow. They were met by police in West Street and allowed to proceed under escort up the High Street and over the Bridge. Trouble had been feared but none seems to have occured. 

Quarry Woods, incredibly popular as a tourist destination, was said to be plagued by an "enormous number of beggar children" asking for food because they were "very hungry." The Bucks Herald called the children a "squalid and miserable hoard" who put the visitors off their food. No hint of empathy for the children whose longing looks at food were apparently so disturbing. 

Common Lodging Houses

You will notice that in our listings of pubs, beer sellers etc, that many were described at times as also (or sometimes mainly) as Common Lodging Houses. These were cheap lodgings, usually used by unmarried men but not always. They tended to be crowded and with sometimes very poor reputations when it came to cleanliness, crime and over crowding. They were subject to more regulation and inspection as time went on, and as a result many closed (at least for accomodation). But we still had them in Marlow into the Edwardian era. A glimpse into what it was like to live in one can be seen from the report of the Crown and Cushion in Dean Street when it failed a Public Health Act inspection in 1904. Among the problems was a lack of screening between married couples beds, a lack of wash basins sufficient for the number of people inside, a dirty yard and an insufficiently cleaned stable. 

A Last Image

In 1883 a reporter for the Maidenhead Advertiser attended the weekly petty sessions at the Magistrates court in Trinity Road. He described a distressing scene where a number of children from poor families were bought up on charges of theft. The sobbing from the youngsters was so loud that the witnesses could scarcely be heard. He was moved to pity and thought the children stood no chance of living anything but a life of degradation unless they were removed from their "evil" situation. But both he and the magistrate did not think the evil the children faced was poverty despite acknowledging that they looked "half starved" and were dressed in scanty clothing. For them the problem was a lack of civilization and Christianity from the "wretched" looking parents. The reporter wondered if missionaries shouldn't be employed in Marlow to help with this. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day.

Related Posts:

St Peter's court "slum" - here

Life at Marlow Workhouse 1775-1843 here

Life at the Wycombe Union workhouse at Saunderton for Marlow residents - here

Hayes Place here

Marlow poverty campaigner the Rev Tavender and of the Congregational Church - here

Posts related to history of Dean Street area and around:here

General posts about everyday life in old Great Marlow: here

More about Slate Clubs here

Wymers farm here

Poverty campaigner Rev Andrew Mearns here

© MarlowAncestors. 

SOURCES INCLUDE:

Thorne, James -  Rambles by Rivers : The Thames Volumes 1-2 (C. Cox 1847) Digitised by Google from New York City Library. 

Penny Savings Banks - Penny Saving Society Journal (incomplete, 1881)

Windsor & Eton Journal - 15 January 1876

Bucks Herald March 24 1888, June 30 1883. 

Maidenhead Advertiser July 8 1889, 06 August 1883. 

South Bucks Standard 28 July 1891, 22 December 1893, 22 February 1895, 22 Jan 1904, 21 Feb 1908. 

Bell and Bottle, Hurley

Bell and Bottle, Knowl Hill, Hurley. Near Bartletts Farm.

Historic landlord listing and history timeline:

1783= Mr ?Vernham?

1815= Leonard Keys. And see below as he reappears later.

1847-8= John Keely. In 1848 the Inn was burgled and 6 sides of bacon stolen. £15 reward offered for information leading to the conviction of the offender [Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette 13th May 1848. Copy in the British Library, accessed via the BNA]. John and his family moved to Cookham not long afterwards.

1851= Thomas Cooper. Wife Mary Ann.

1853= The inn's ostler Leonard Keys, who as a young man had run the pub, spotted someone rustling sheep in a nearby field. Leonard was originally from Wargrave and in his early 60s. He was not the ostler there in 1851 or by 1861 though he still lived in Knowl Hill.

1854-61= Mary Ann Cooper as above. In 1856 a stolen horse was passed between customers at the pub.

1863= Alfred Lane gave up

1876= "Heath" the landlord. Royal County Directory by J.G Harrod.

1881= James Fassridge originally from Uxbridge. Wife Maria originally from London.

1891-92 Robert Mellows. Wife Fanny. Left pub 1892 but Robert at least was still in Hurley in 1895.

1892= Thomas Gardner

1901-1906= Henry Toombs. Wife Betty. She was originally from Hillingdon and he from Abingdon.

1906=Thomas Briggs

Compiled from censuses, licensing information Berkshire Record Office, court cases, adverts, directories newspapers as quoted above, etc. Kellys Post Office Directory by Kellys Directories Limited 1847 and 1854.

Similar post on the Black Boy Hurley here

More Hurley pub history and landlord listings in the future. We have a large number of similar posts for pubs in Marlow, Little Marlow, Medmenham and Lane End (all Buckinghamshire) plus a few for Hurley. These are all listed here.

 Our main focus is Marlow on this blog but we do cover places like Hurley because of frequent connection between them and Marlow. For a list of Hurley, Harleyford and Temple related posts see here

Post by Charlotte. © Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use this content for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog and link here. Also credit any newspaper sources listed.

Nag's Head Dean Street Great Marlow *updated April 2026*

 

Updated by Kathryn June 2025

The Nag's Head stood a bit beyond the turning into what's now called Wethered Road. It was a beer house with a large barn and yard out back. It also had stabling for 5-6 horses. The barn was usually hired out to other tenants. The premises did not feature in the 1833 parish assessment as a beer house however I believe the building itself was there by 1829. There was a small parlour, bar, tap room and 2 kitchens downstairs, and 3 bedrooms above. Note the beerhouse "The Fighting Cocks" was immediately adjacent. 

Dean Street and the neighbouring Marefield district were poor and sometimes rough. The Nag's Head does not come across as one of the worst establishments. There's the usual squabbles eg in 1864 when the wife of Robert Smith had words with Joseph East and this lead to the two men having a fight on the premises..

Below are all the publicans attached to the beer house that I can find records of and some background for them:

1845- Thomas Frith.

1846 - Thomas Frith. Fined 40 shillings plus costs for allowing dominoes to be played on the premises for money. He plead not guilty to no avail.  

1848 - Thomas Frith leaves, and spends some time living on an allowance at Sir William Clayton's estate in Godstone, and some time in Wales. For the possible reasons for Clayton's patronage, see a post on the 1847 election here

1861 William East. Wife Caroline. William also a dealer. He fined 1863 for having his beer shop open during the hours of divine service. Eight customers were found inside by a constables. The 40 shillings fine was substantial.

1864 - William East. Presumably the same William East who moved to the Fighting Cocks c 1869. He then applied to take over the Alma the same year.  He said he'd only moved to the Fighting Cocks to save it from closure. This did not impress the magistrates who did not want people to flit between licenced premises. A conviction also being proved against him, the licence was refused. 

From ? to 1871 Thomas Patterson. He was also a market gardener. Before working as a publican, he was a cordwainer. Wife Ann worked as a boot binder. 

1871-1882 Gardener family. William Gardener / Gardner/ Gardiner took over the licence in 1871 and ran it until his death at the pub aged 65 in 1879. His widow Clara then took over. She was the landlady until 1881 when, upon her death also aged 65, her son William Thomas Gardener briefly ran things. William senior worked as a gas stoker before taking over the licence, while the young William Thomas was at first a paper maker, later a gas stoker. Clara was originally from Sussex and William senior of Leicestershire. They tried unsuccessfully to get a spirit licence for the Nags Head in 1875. 

1882- 84 William Todd with his wife Sarah. I'm very sorry to say William was found drowned in the Thames in 1888. The verdict was open but the suspicion was he'd committed suicide - he was found a short distance from where his sister Elizabeth had taken her life the previous year by jumping off the bridge into the Thames. William is said to have been worried by the large amount of money owed to him for beer by his former customers who he'd allowed to run up large tabs. He'd inevitably fallen behind with his own payments to Wethered's brewery as a result. They had agreed he could pay off his arrears gradually out of wages that he earned by working for the brewery but he was depressed by the large amount still remaining. Let's hope all those in William's debt gave the sums owed to his poor widow and young children. 

1884- 1891 Joseph Bristow. Said to have  suddenly left town. While Dean Street was known for its pubs, there was also a reasonable temperance movement at times in the town, some of whose meetings occurred in Dean Street. A treasured hope of the movement was that non-alcoholic ginger beer could become the drink of choice for the masses. (Not all ginger beer was alcohol free) Unlikely as that now seems to us there was a real concern in the brewing industry that the temperance groups contagious fervour for their cause and promotion of the supposed health benefits in drinking ginger beer could destroy the pub trade. Obviously hedging his bets in this respect was Joseph Bristow who ran the Nag's Head while also brewing a large amount of ginger beer on the premises. It isn't clear if this was for his pub customers, for sale elsewhere, or both. In case alcohol won out he successfully upgraded the Nags Head from a beer house to a fully licensed premises in 1889! (Spirit licence gained 1885 in exchange for the Wethereds brewery permanently closing the immediately adjacent Fighting Cocks which they owned). 

1885 - a "well conducted" house. 

1891 Briefly Henry Price, then Thomas Price.

1891 to 1903 Thomas Price. Thomas also operated as a general dealer and farmed. In 1894 while out scaring birds in his field of peas in Marlow he suffered a gun accident which meant it misfired, blowing off part of a finger and otherwise injuring his hand.

Thomas was married to Annie Bowles at Marlow in 1879. She charged her husband with assault in 1909 but decided to withdraw the case (but not the statement that she had been assaulted) at trial.

1903 - Albert B Smith.

1906  Mr A Smith. 

1907 A B Smith then Thomas Price.

1912 - William Thomas Edworthy then George Verney. 

1911-16 George Verney. George enlisted and as Sapper Verney of the Royal Engineers (Inland Water Transport) sadly died in Epsom hospital on August 10 1917 "of shell shock" and head wounds received in France. He left a widow and 3 children. Formerly of the Railway Inn, Earlswood, Surrey. The 1920 post office directory lists a George Verney as a beer seller of Dean Street - relative or out of date information perhaps. 

1928 - considered for compulsory closure but escapes this attempt. At the time the sanitary conditions there are called "very bad". Sells 3&1/2 barrels of beer a week, plus bottled. 

1939 - Thomas W B Tillion

For a very long list of pubs, inns and beerhouses etc in Marlow and Little Marlow, mostly vanished, see this post here

Please use the Person Index option on the top drop down menu to find people of  interest to you and the Pub Related option for more pub related posts.

More Dean Street content can be found by going to the menu and choosing the "Specific Shops, Streets....Etc" option.

Post researched and written by Charlotte Day and Kathryn Day.

© Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use this information for family or local history purposes but please credit this blog and link back here. 

Sources:

Papers in the British Library via the BNA accessed September 2020: Bucks Herald 3rd Sept 1881, South Bucks Standard 14th June 1894, August 27th 1884, South Bucks Standard 4th December 1891, Maidenhead Advertiser Sept 4th 1889. Berkshire Chronicle 21 August 1846. 

My own census transcriptions from microfilm film.

Jane Pullinger.

Slough Eton and Windsor Observer - August 29 1885 -  Slough Library 

Marlow Almanack and Directory 1881

Marlow Guide , 1903, 1907 

Kellie's Directory - various years. 

Bucks Free Press 2nd March 1928, Wycombe Libraries.