More Where in Marlow was..Part 5

If you can't find the place you are looking for here, take a look at our other "Where in Marlow was..?" posts - part one here, part two here, no 3 here and part 4 here.

Abercynon - house, Little Marlow Road.

Aberystwyth - house, Claremont Road.

Alfred House now Cromwell House, High Street. Historic occupiers here

Andover - house, Oak Tree Road.

Applegarth - house, Dedmere Rise.

Arthur Villa - Claremont Road.

Ashcroft- Address given also as "Claremont Lodge", Claremont Road area. 

Ash, The - house, Little Marlow Road.

Ashtead - Claremont Road. 

Beechwood - house, off Henley Road. Demolished. Built circa 1883 in grounds of Beech Lodge.  Had been rebuilt 1925. 

Beech Lodge - Wadham Wyndham's residence from at least 1819. Aka Red Pits/Red Pits Lodge. About the Wyndhams here.

Bob Moore's Lane= now Bobmore Lane 

Bohemia- house, adjacent Marlow Bridge. On Berks side of river. 

Bokpara - house, Little Marlow Road.

Brewery Cottages - Wethered built row of cottages mainly for Brewery employees, Oxford Rd just past Queen's Rd turning if coming from town. Aka Chalk Pit Cottages although these can refer to those by water works, Chalk Pit Lane. 

Broomhurst - house, Cromwell Gardens.

Burnham Villa - Glade Road. 

Caldwell Lodge - Station Road, still carries this name.

Church Road - Now known as Wethered Rd. If you are puzzled by the high house numbers in this very short road, it can be explained by the fact that when the adjacent Dean Street was first  numbered, they looped down Church Rd with the numbers before continuing on up Dean Street. So in the Edwardian era, you won't find low numbered properties in Church Rd. All early houses in this road have been demolished. 

Claremont House - Claremont Road. 

Cleeveville - house, New Town Road. 

Clynview- (also Clyn View-) House, Glade Road.

Coop, The - house, Little Marlow Road.

Crendon Cottages - Crown Road. Presumably still there but not obviously marked.

Croft Cottage - Pound Lane. Not The Croft, which is now Gyldernscroft .

Daintree aka Daintree Cottage - house, "Claremont Estate" now Claremont Gardens. 

Darfield - Glade Road.

Dedmere House - see Field House below.

East View Villas - Glade Road.

Effra - house, Beaumont Rise. 

Ellerslie - house, used as "apartments" for a good while, Institute Road.

Elmcroft  -  house, Little Marlow Road.

Ennismore - house, Little Marlow Road.

Euonymus - Little Marlow Road.

Evergreen - house, Glade Road. 

Fairlawn / Fair Lawn - house, Riverwoods Estate as it was referred to in the early days (Edwardian) but address given as Westhorpe Rd later

Field House-  off modern Field House Lane / Dedmere Road. Address historically given as Dedmere, Marlow, Marlow Fields or sometimes New Town. Also called Dedmere House. Field House Farm off New Town Road had 30 acres in 1916, 20 acres in 1881. History post here.

Forthar - house, Little Marlow Road.

Frankfield (Sometimes Frank Field) - house, Spinfield Lane.

Gables, The - Institute Road. Built for Dr Dunbar Dickson. 

Glade, The - now The Cedars, Glade Historic resident Charlotte Cocks here

Glade Nook  - 1.) house, Glade Road. 2. house Claremont Estate (Claremont Road area). Could be same house in fact due to consistent confused use of addresses in this part of Marlow in the early days of development.

Glenesk - Cromwell Gardens. 

Glenfield - house, Little Marlow Road

Glenlyn - house, Station Road .

Glenside - house, Claremont Road.

Godyers / Goodyers / Goodyears /Goodiers - the name Thames Bank House bore early in its life. Probably an earlier building too. 

Gos(s)emore House - the name adopted by Artist Percy Wild for The Eyrie in 1899. Often rendered as Gossmore House. Off Gossmore/Lock Road, with grounds that originally ran to towpath. Address may be given as "Marlow Fields" (1897, 1899) For history of The Eyrie when it was a menagerie see here

Hartfield - house, Little Marlow Road

Haven, The - house, Claremont Road. 

Highfield(s) - off Henley Road. Demolished. 

Highwell Cottage - Station Road. Probably misspelling on Highwall Cottage there. Adjacent to Marlow Place - with a very high wall surrounding it! 

Holmelea - Henley Rd, Edwardian. 

Holmesley, Homesley house, Station Road.

Ingledean  / Ingledene - house, Claremont Road. 

Ingleneux /Ingleneuk - house, Claremont Road.

Kendal Cottage - Glade Road.

Kiama - house, Little Marlow Road.

Kia-Ora - house, Claremont Road.

Kinclaven - house, Little Marlow Road.

Lammas Lane - lane (often a footpath at best) bordering Rookery Park and leading from Chapel End to what is now the cemetery area. Aka Arzees Lane, Hawes Lane and Rookery Lane. 

Laurels, The - Beaumont Rise.

Lymbrook - (occasionally Lynbrook but see below) - name used for Thames Bank house (now known as Thames Lawn) from at least 1869-1939, however many people continued to use old name of Thames Bank during  this time, as they also continued to use it when the name changed again to Thames Lawn. Note also that Thames Lawn existed as separate house nearer lock prior to Thames Bank using the name. And a separate house in St Peters Street was known as Limbrook(e) in the 1820s, while Limbrook Wharf there existed 1850's and was sometimes used as a trading address. There is also a modern house called Lymbrook at Marlow Common. Confused yet? 

Lynton - Glade Road. 

Lynwood - house, Cromwell Gardens. Extant. The property Alfred Davis (who gave his name to the Marlow FC ground) was living in at his death in 1927.   They also owned the neighbouring house Ashleigh. Also a property at Marlow Common.

Maida Vale - house, Claremont Estate,  later described as located in Claremont Gardens. 

Maisonette - a house in fact. In  "New Town" - modern New Town Road area

Maldah - house, Institute Road. Exists with name intact. Post about early residents here.

Manse, The - Chapel Street. No 64 historic numbering. 

Marlow Villas - Claremont Road 1909. Pair of houses. Still named. 

Marlow Lodge - Station Road.  Formerly Suffolk Lodge. 

Merolla - house, Station Road. 

Mitching Dean - house, Glade Road.

Myrtle House - Claremont Road. 

Naseby - house. Maybe described as either Cromwell Gardens or the adjacent Claremont Road. Extant and still named. 

Nesscliffe - house, Glade Road. 

Orchard Cottage - Mill Road.

Ready Money Row - colloquial name for Dean Street, as was "The City" and "Packmans Puzzle"

Pendennis - house, Glade Road.

Pleasaunce, The aka The Plesance - House, Beaumont Rise (no.1, still so named) to

Rest, The - house, Glade Road. 

Rosecroft - Glade Road. 

Rosenan - house, Beaumont Rise. Poss misspelling of Rosenau Beaumont Rise, a twin of Castlenau. 

Rose Villa - "Institute Road", but probably actually the same one as in Beaumont Rise. Also earlier Rose Villas (plural), in uncertain location.

Roy Glen - house, Claremont Road. Also a house was called Royston in "New Town", specifically in Holland Rd. 

Ruby Villa - Berwick Road, no longer named. Probably named by early residents after their daughter Ruby. 

Seaton - house, Beaumont Rise, exists still with this name. 

Shamrock Cottage - Glade Road. Early residents of the property ( number 7) here. No longer bears the name.

Spinneys, The - house, West Street. 

St. Clare - let as apartments, Station Road. 

St. Georges Cottage - Beaumont Rise. 

St. Margarets - house, Wycombe Road

St. Marys - house, Claremont Road. 

St. Mawes - house, "Newtown". New Town Road area.

St. Ronans - house, Cromwell Gardens .

Suffolk Lodge - off what is now Station Road & Lock Road. Gardens bordered South Place and Station Road. Later Marlow Lodge (there was also a Marlow Lodge in Little Marlow village, and at Fingest)

Surmoor - property Queens Road. 

Swallows, The  - Little Marlow Road (Previously known as Prospect House, possibly one of two properties to be called that) Demolished. 

Swilley Cottage - Little Marlow Road. Swilley Villa, which appears to be in the same area, may be the same place or in the adjacent Wycombe Rd. 

Thistle Cottage - Glade Road. 

Thornwood - house, Cromwell Gardens.

Valley View- house, Little Marlow Road. Used for many purposes over the years. 

Victoria Cottages - pair, 1872, Victoria Road. Extant.

Wellingrove - house, Station Road. (Occasionally Welling Grove). 

Western House - house, West Street (Henley Road end). Still extant. 

West View - 1.) Cromwell Gardens 2. "New Town" (Newtown Road area).

Westwood  house, Institute Road

Wiggintons Row- Dean Street, cottages. Colloquial name.

Woodland Cottage - Gossmore Road, ( now Lane).

Woodlands- a house,  Claremont Gardens.

Woodside -1.)  Riverwoods Estate 2.) Little Marlow Road.

Remember that homes listed as located within "Glade Road" in the past may actually be in the streets nearby. Glade Road was developed first and for a lack of specific address for themselves some new homes in the nearby area built in what was fields or down as yet unamed roads used "Glade Road" as a postal address as it was their nearest named location. Similarly homes given historically as in "New Town" will be in the general area of but not necessarily actually in what is now New Town Road. The same applies to homes formerly described as being in "The Claremont Estate" or "Claremont Garden Estate" - they may have been in what is now Claremont Road or Claremont Gardens or in nearby streets.

 Compiled by Charlotte Day and Kathryn Day.

Leighton House, Glade Road, Marlow

The former Leighton House school, Great Marlow.  

In 1891 this is described as a boarding school for boys aged 10-16 years. It had 9 boarding pupils, though the school took day pupils too. On census night, mathematics teacher Mr M Jefferies was present along with a housekeeper and servant. The school was run by the Misses Curtis, sisters Martha and Alice, whose school started in a Marlow Bottom farmhouse before moving to Cambridge House, Cambridge Road and finally to Leighton House late in 1883 following the death of the elderly previous occupier Ellen Bennett. Alice Curtis died at Leighton House in 1893 but Maria  remained running the school until at least 1898. The Curtises offered a classical education but cricket and (unusually) football were available too. The older boys played in local amateur cups alongside adults and older youth teams. Their home ground was the meadow by the Railway Station, now built over, which was just a stone's throw from the school and used by many sporting teams. It was presumably the case that male teachers were also part of the team outside of junior competition as the school had a total of 15 pupils only in 1897 and some of these would have been too young to play against teens and adults.

 The school advertised in press** aimed at British subjects living overseas locations such as South Africa.  It was suggested that those who wished to provide an English education for their offspring would find that special care and attention was given to them at Marlow. 

The school was a successful one both academically and financially for the sisters. Maria Curtis often donated money from her profits to the local cottage hospital and to Holy Trinity Church in Marlow.

The goal of the boy pupils' academic studies was to prepare them for entry into the public schools and thus to university and the professions. In 1897 the South Bucks Standard reported that the local vicar had organised an essay writing competition for the boys on the subject of the "life of Queen Victoria"* The winner was Charles Smith of Rose Villa, Great Marlow. Charles was the son of Lawrence Smith and grandson of Reuben and Mary Smith all of whom there is a full post about here

In 1889 two less fortunate boys from the town, 11 year old Joseph James and 12 year old Henry Wheeler, were accused of stealing two pairs of boots from the school premises (Bucks Herald 23rd February 1889, British Library Archives). Henry Wheeler had the charges against him dismissed for want of evidence. But Joseph was given 4 lashes from a birch rod and labelled in court a "bad, artful boy". He was the son of James and Charlotte James. He appears with them on the 1881 census in Queens Road.

Sometimes during the Summer holidays the house was let to tourists. Many other Glade Road homes were put to the same use at that time.

By 1900 Leighton House was a fully residential property occupied by George Tweedie. In 1904 it was Marlow bank manager Percy Quayles in residence, though he left that year to manage a Hampshire branch.

In 1910 Ernest and Mrs Williams lived it seems not altogether happily in the house. He was arrested for being roaring drunk in Beaumont Rise after his wife refused him entry into their home. A few weeks later the contents of the house were forcibly put up for sale in distress of rent - polished brass bedsteads and fine carpets included -  which doesn't seem to bode well for the continued state of their marriage either. It took multiple sales to clear things.  

Between at least 1915 and 1938 Leighton House was home, let's hope more happily, to solicitor Leonard Nash, his wife Julia and their family who had moved there from "Westwood" in Institute Road. Leonard and Julia (nee Syrett) had married Loudwater, Bucks in 1905.

Being close to the railway station made Glade Road good for holiday rentals as said above but it also made the residents the first victims of travelling salesman who arrived in town that way. Leonard Nash sued a travelling china repairer in 1915 for doing more harm than good to a vase Leonard entrusted to him!

In 1925 Leonard bought for £1300 some 29 acres of land off Newtown Road, a canny piece of work as this was an area of Marlow where houses were being rapidly thrown up. He also is likely the L.R Nash who bought the house Effra in Beaumont Rise in the 1920s.

Related posts:

To find out more about the historic residents of other Glade Road properties in Marlow see this index.

Listing of 72 plus Marlow schools of yesteryear here

Education related posts and everyday life in old Great Marlow here

To find every mention of an individual here use the A-Z Person Index in the top drop down. 

 

Photo by Kathryn Day. Post researched and written by Charlotte Day.

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

*edition 24th December. Copy at the British Library. Accessed via the British Newspaper Archive.

**For examples of the schools advertising at expatriates see for example The African Critic 30th November 1895. 

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The Joy And Tragedy Of The Armoury's First Year

The Armoury, or the Headquarters of the First Bucks Rifle Volunteers, Institute Rd. 

The Joy

This post is about the first year in the life of the above building. The 1st Bucks Rifle Volunteers were formed in 1859 but they did not get their permanent home and headquarters in Marlow until 1890. (The armoury when the Corps started in 1859 was at the town hall, after an initial plan to store their weapons at the police station were refused by the police due to lack of secure space.) The first stone was laid in 1889 by the Volunteer's Colonel Wethered, on a site donated by Owen Williams, along with that of the neighbouring Marlow Institute. It was built by Marlow man Young Lovell, who has left his mark all over our town!

The joint opening day of the two buildings was one of huge celebration in Marlow. Streets and buildings were garlanded with flags and bunting. Members of other Volunteer Corps travelled here by train to join a joyous parade of Corps, the Volunteer Fire Brigade and various friendly societies. Accompanied by the rifle volunteers drum and fife band, they bought things in the town centre to a standstill. They then announced their arrival at Institute Rd by sounding their bugles, although a crowd was already awaiting them. Colonel Wethered addressed the crowd from the upstairs window of the Armoury, where the orderlies room was located. He spoke of his pride of his Corps and their handsome building. 

After this, officers were allowed to show their wives and lucky guests around the new headquarters. There was of course an armoury room, fitted with new gun racks that could accommodate 180 rifles and bayonets. This included an "armourers bench" for for cleaning and repair of the rifles. Visitors could also see a display of antique guns above the fireplace and the drum captured at the siege of Sebastopol and presented to the Drum and Fife Band by Lieutenant Colonel Higginson in 1861. 

Outside, in the drill yard, the old town stocks and gaol door could be seen. These are later described as being on display at the rear of the adjacent Institute, in whose custody they were until they were passed to the town council for display on the Causeway. (They were donated to the Institute by Charles Miller Footitt.) 

The tragedy

A few months after the above happy day, drill instructor Edward Baldwin went to the Armoury and found a shocking scene. In the Armoury room itself, he discovered the prone figure of his predecessor, Sergeant John Mentor, with a loaded rifle between his knees and the end at his mouth. John had attached string to the trigger to enable himself to pull it easily. Horrified, Baldwin sprang forward and snatched the rifle away. He stopped to "admonish" John and remove the cartridge from the gun. While he did this, John ran out and was seen going towards his home a short distance away at The Limes, Glade Rd. Baldwin allowed him to go and went to fetch a policeman. Poor John arrived home and hid a letter to his wife. A short while later she saw him taking out some table knives which he told her he was going to clean. She told him they had been done, and thought he then returned them all to their case. Tragically he had not, and instead secreted a sharp pointed knife before leaving the house. He walked to the train station and was then seen walking alongside the train line towards Bourne End. Some plate layers working on the line spoke to him and he said he was going to catch a train at Bourne End. They alerted two policeman who had been sent to find Mentor. The Constables came across him standing quietly by the rail line, looking to their eyes as if he was waiting the chance to throw himself under a train. When John saw them approach, he ran towards the river.  Faced with their gaining on him, he suddenly stopped, turned, and stabbed himself in the heart, dying instantly. 

What had bought on this terrible and "determined suicide"? John had been suffering from depression since loosing his job as Instructor for the Volunteer's 15 months before, a position he had held for about 10 years. He had came to the end of the period for which he had been engaged but had expected to be re -hired again as had happened before. Sadly those in charge decided not to recommend him for consideration. He took this understandably to heart, and regarded it as a dismissal. He said at the time that he'd been given no reason and did not ask for one. His comrades were said to be astonished when he left his role, and organised a farewell dinner in his honour. At this he was presented with a silver tea service which had been paid for by voluntary subscriptions by members of the volunteers past and present. His speech then seemed relatively philosophical and restrained although he acknowledged he had been much upset and felt justified in this reaction. He assured his listeners that he had made an "arrangement" with those in charge and he could now say that it was to his "advantage" to leave as he had done. He also admitted to some breaches of military discipline but said they had never prevented him doing his job. 

However it was later suggested that concerns had been raised about his mental health a long time prior to his departure. His successor thought he was a little "insane" and others agreed he had taken to a rambling style of speech. His wife said he had sometimes drunk a little too much in the company of the Corps but she was firm in her statements that her husband had drank only moderately in the previous year. John had became bitter and sent long and abusive letters to those in charge of the Corps who he blamed for the loss of his role. These were read to the inquest behind closed doors along with a letter left on his body. Verdict - suicide while suffering from temporary insanity. 

A short while after John's tragic end, a group of non commissioned officers and privates of the Volunteers held a meeting at the Greyhound. They decided to ask Mrs Mentor if she would allow them to erect the gravestone in his honour, at their expense. It's easy to imagine what a gesture like this might have meant to the widow. She replied that she would be glad of their kind mark of respect. Their stone is shown below. It can be found at All Saints Church. 

John Mentor

Born 2 Jan 1840 Died Nov 1896

Information on grave itself:

Colour Sergt (2nd) Batt 4th regiment. Ten years sergeant instructor 1879-1889 to Marlow Company of 1st Bucks R.V.C who erected the stone. 

Also of Eliza his wife, died Jul 31st 1910 age 62 years (Lily)

     

Notes. 

John is also described as a former "orderly room sergeant". He was the secretary of the St. John's Ambulance association in Marlow. 

Wife Lily continued as a lodging house keeper at The Oaks,  Institute Rd which was just three doors away from the Armoury. 

The Armoury was later used as the Recruiting Committee Office in the First World War, open each evening 6-9pm. 

Related Posts:

Info about the neighbouring Institute (now Marlow library) here

Biography of Drill Instructor Columbine here

The Volunteer camps in Marlow and at Danesfield in the 1860s here

Other residents of The Limes - here

To find other posts about everyday life in old Marlow see the list here. To find every mention of your ancestor here, use the A-Z Person Index in the top drop down menu. 

Researched and written by Kathryn Day. 

©MarlowAncestors

Selected sources: 

South Bucks Standard - 18 September & 28 November 1890, copies from the British Library and accessed via the BNA

Bucks Herald 20 November , 6 & 27 December 1890, as above.

Maidenhead Advertiser 24 September & October 9th 1890, as above

Reading Observer 29 November 1890, as above

Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News - 29 November 1890

Bucks Examiner 3 December 1890 as above

Berkshire Chronicle 3rd December 1859, 29 November 1890, as above.

Aldershot Military Gazette - 15 November 1890 - as above

Slough Eton and Windsor Observer, Slough reference library. December 6 1890. 

Census 1881,1891 - transcripts by Charlotte Day and Jane Pullinger.