Edwardian Spittal Street and Spittal Square Part Two

EVEN NUMBERED PROPERTIES SPITTAL STREET.

Note: Our Marlow ancestors were terrible at giving precise or consistent street addresses for themselves or others, knowing exactly what number they lived at (!), and the authorities made some confusing even bizarre property numbering decisions (don't get us started on Berwick Road... ). Some properties in Market Square at the bottom of Spittal Street were officially numbered as if in Spittal Street and would be described as being in Market Square or Spittal Street depending on the whim of the describer. They are included here. Properties in Spittal Square were also numbered as if in Spittal Street. Most of those were given even numbers. Throughout history Spittal Street and Chapel Street which run into one another were repeatedly confused. Never believe any property is definitely in one street rather than the other without multiple pieces of evidence!

***Edwardian building numbers are not necessarily those of the modern day*** Several of the properties mentioned below no longer exist.

In this post I follow the popular perception of the "Edwardian age" as extending 1901-1914. Some incidents in the earlier lives of the named residents are also included. Spittal Square addresses are very sloppy and reconstructing this street was tough.  If anyone has been missed we hope to remedy that as soon as possible.

2 - 4 George Dorsett's grocery shop. Really in Market Square but numbered as Spittal Street at this time. Bacon curer too. 

6 - 8 William Fisher's butcher's shop. Managed in a day to day basis by Frank Fisher from 1905 but William still in charge of the business overall. William was involved in an accident in 1910 when his horse drawn trap was in collision in the High Street with another vehicle and he was thrown out of it. William was much injured but fortunately had no broken bones. In the Edwardian era William supplied meat and groceries to the Union workhouse school in Bledlow Bucks which took children from Marlow and elsewhere. The quality of the meat he provided was questioned more than once. It has be said that the premises of William were considered a continuous serious health hazard by his Spittal Street neighbours and he was multiple times in court over sanitary breaches. The details are somewhat stomach churning and as you may have recently eaten we'll just draw a veil over the details. Like many butchers he kept some animals for slaughter - mostly pigs- out the back of his premises. In the Victorian era he had kept a stall at Marlow market too but it isn't clear whether he was still doing that in this era. By the end of the Edwardian age William no longer lived on the premises of his shop, but in Glade Road. His wife Elizabeth was nee Webb of the Webb of Field House Marlow family. William himself came from Aylesbury originally.

Premises on the edge of Market Square.

10  Sometimes given as Market Square but numbered as Spittal Street. Shop of Thomas "Tom" Rippington (bn 1879) fishmonger in 1907 and 1908. He also dealt in game and poultry. Smoked haddock a speciality! He was an assistant fishmonger on the 1901 census so must have come into his own business after that. Thomas is not to be confused with his dad Thomas Rippington of nearby Chapel Street who was not a fishmonger but a shorthand writer and marine store dealer. Tom and his wife Ruth moved to Great Missenden in late 1910 or 11 and his former Marlow premises were taken over by Nelson and Sons butchers. 

12 Sydney Smith's greengrocers. Members of this family continued the shop there for some years.

14 - 16 Bernal Harman chemist until his death in 1906 when his son Henry "Harry" Harman took over. A full biography of both Bernal and his son is already on the blog here. Long term chemist premises. 

18 William Smith, draper's shop. Wife Martha Jane ("Jane") born circa 1853 Maidenhead but William was a Londoner of origin. He was one of Marlow's volunteer firemen. Martha died after what was said to be a long and painful illness in 1908 at their home The Garth, Beaumont Rise. William continued to live at The Garth as a widower with his children Herbert and Dora. (Currently a greengrocer & sweet shop) 

Advert, 1905. 

20 Ironmongery ran by George Meakes until his death in 1903. Assisted by John Eddowes who then took over. A biographical post on these two is already on the blog here. Currently M&S food. 

22 - 24 Arthur Barnard's stores which were built at the very end of the Edwardian era. He already has a biography on the blog here where you will also find information about his two other shops. Prior to that three very small cottages stood on the site. Those properties were previously occupied by Thomas Andrews the hairdresser (wife Elizabeth), H Carter and the Steele family headed by William and Rosanna "Rose" Steele. William was a french polisher on his own account. His and Rosanna's son Sydney died of wounds he received while fighting in the First World War at Salonika. The Steele family previously lived at Bovingdon Green but had to leave when their thatched cottage burned to the ground. It was thought a spark from their fire of furze ignited the thatch. No one in the family was hurt and the family's possessions were saved. A lack of available water for the fire brigade and the fact the road from Marlow was so bad that the fire engine got stuck had contributed to the fire's destruction of their home. Using furze for fire would have been common at Bovingdon Green and Marlow Common as it could be gathered easily in the vicinity. Currently Marlow Bookshop. 

26 - 30 The Greyhound. For the Edwardian and other landlords of this historic  inn / hotel see here. (Demolished) 

32 Jacob's family home & store. Ralph Jacobs was a "marine store" dealer - that is a seller of secondhand items that would largely be of interest to those in trade or craft occupations (e.g carpentry tools or lead piping). They also traded in secondhand items a householder might use for gardening or home maintenance tasks. Examples of such items would be cloths  that could be used for cleaning, slop pails and garden tools. He later also operated as a rag and bone man and offered shoe repairs. His shop was at 32 but he also kept a storeroom for larger items in Duke's Place. His sons John and Ernest both helped in the business. Sadly Ernest was killed in action while fighting in the First World War. The mum in the family was Emily Margaret. This property no longer exists. In the first world war the Jacobs collected many items for the war effort. Demolished. 

34 Over the Edwardian period George Dean boot and shoe maker and Ellen White needlewoman both occupied this cottage at different times. This property no longer exists. The cottage was a very old one that had in Georgian and Victorian times been a grocer's shop. To read about the grocers who operated from no 34 in the 1800s see here (Eagle Family) or here (East and Harriman). The latter post contains some upsetting content. Demolished. 

36 - 38 a largish property divided up in several ways. Wiggington family premises for many years. Robert Wiggington the coal dealer with a sideline in timber dealing operated from here as apparently did George Aughton a timber dealer who had a sideline in coal. George was also later recorded as a greengrocer and haulage contractor. Robert Wiggington died unexpectedly while out on his coal van in 1915. The property incorporated a shop (officially 38) which was ran as a general shop in the Edwardian era by Miss Emma Glynn Jones the Wiggington's granddaughter and later by George Aughton's wife Charlotte. This property no longer exists in any way.

40 - by the 1920s incorporated into number 38. This property no longer exists. In 1915 just after our era R Hawkes.

42 -cottage considered unfit for human habitation in 1907, owned by a Mr Collins. Probably lived in then by Mr J Edwards. This property no longer exists. 

44 cottage considered unfit for human habitation in 1907, owned by a Mr Collins. Probably lived in then by Mrs Young. Must have been refurbished as in 1915 just after our era no 44 was lived in by Walter Tew. This property no longer exists.

46 The Cross Keys SPITTAL SQUARE properly. Historic landlords listing here

48 at the end of this era the home of John Baxter. In earlier Edwardian times it was George Baxter, "wardrobe dealer" (that was a second hand furniture dealer not just selling wardrobes) who lived here.  SPITTAL SQUARE. Note the Rippington's wardrobe dealers was at no 2 Chapel Street next to the Cross Keys. Due to the bizarreness of the street numbering no 48 Spittal Square was actually on the opposite side of the street from the Cross Keys at no 46 which from bare numbering you would think would be next to it.

50 the home of widow Mary Ann Walker embroiderer at the start of the Edwardian era. She lived there with her niece Miss Mary Ann Stockbridge born 1857, who was a maker of embroidered baby bibs for her aunt's business, and then following her own death on her own account. Both women were beneficiaries of the will of Mary Ann Walker's husband Henry (who ran the baby linen and bib manufacturing business with his wife) following his death of bronchitis in 1894. The family had occupied this property since at least the 1870s. The Walkers employed many women in the town as embroiderers. Henry had spent his youth in the army, where he rose to the rank of Sergeant, not an easy thing for an ordinary man to do in those days. During his time serving in India he was part of the force which seized the famed Koh I Noor diamond and fought against the Indian Mutiny. After he left the armed services in 1864 he returned to Marlow, married and set up the embroidery business with his wife. SPITTAL SQUARE.

52-54 bakery of Walter Harris (also confectioner) and then Mr W Clark. SPITTAL SQUARE.

56 Mrs Mary Holland seamstress, self-employed. SPITTAL SQUARE.

58  John Birdseye. Baker there since at least the early 1890s. Spittal Square. He was in the same block of 4 properties as Frank Harvey the chimney sweep see above, so was an even number. John was born circa 1831 in Chesham. His wife Eliza was of Marlow origin. She died in 1904 and so late in the era as a retired widower John went to live with his daughter Sarah and son in law James Gray (a grocer and rent collector) at the impressive house Thamesfield near the river. Back in 1897 when Queen Victoria's jubilee was being celebrated in Marlow John put on an unusual public display when he exhibited some bread and cakes which he had made for the 1887 Jubilee, 10 years previously still in very good condition! John as a younger man served as a parish constable. The graves of Eliza and John are on the blog here. Both were members of the Baptist Church in Marlow and helped to raise money for its Glade Road building. Their daughter Sarah was a Congregational Chapel member.

When John Birdseye retired Edward Harvey baker and confectioner (wife Alice nee Barnes) took over. Early in the Edwardian era John sold bread and beer in nearby Chapel Street. They lived York Road.  Harvey's bakers was in operation for many years and was fondly remembered by many people. This property no longer exists. SPITTAL SQUARE.

60 the home of the West family headed by couple Emma and Owen West. Late in the Edwardian era Emma lived here as a widow supporting herself by working as a charwoman. SPITTAL SQUARE .This property no longer exists.

62  Francis "Frank" and Annie Harvey. Frank was a chimney sweep. In a block of 4 properties in SPITTAL SQUARE not far from the corner with Chapel Street. This property no longer exists.

Unplaced people of Edwardian Spittal Street, may be on either the odds or evens side of street unless otherwise stated. By unplaced I mean not certainly placed, there is often conflicting information:

Samuel and Rose Higgs. Samuel was a boot maker.

Mr Price who had a shop here in 1905 in which a fire broke out.

Mr Ransom butcher?

Mrs Elizabeth Sexton dressmaker and furrier. Born circa 1848 in Dorking Surrey. A widow who lived with her daughters Eleanor and Winifred, sister Eliza Plumridge and a lodger. Elizabeth had moved to Marlow from Maidenhead. Initially she lived with her daughters in Oxford Road. Eleanor married into the Gurney family of Glory Farm, Penn. Before marriage she worked as a stationary shop assistant.

Annie Trash milliner late in the era. Even numbered side of the street.

And in Spittal Square unplaced people =

Mrs Atkins or Adkins. Near the corner of Chapel Street. Sometimes because of the property's corner position described as being in Chapel Street itself. 

John and Jane Bryant early in the Edwardian era. John was a shopkeeper.

M Fisher the greengrocer.

Charles and Emma Hawkes. Charles was employed as a shoe maker. 

Joseph Hawkins carpenter.

Tillion family. In the same block of four properties as Frank Harvey the chimney sweep so an even numbered property. Charles Tillion was a packer for a fisherman. See also The Horns, Chapel Street landlord listing. 

Researched and compiled by Charlotte Day. ©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use my research for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog. 

For selected sources see Spittal Street part one which deals with everyone who lived in odd numbered properties

Prospect Road, Marlow

Above a decaying street sign for the road. Its very first sign was put up on a Mr Taylor's house in 1899. This will be a later replacement presumably.

 Originally called Marefield Place then Prospect Place and then finally the modern Prospect Road. The first six homes there had an additional collective name Prospect Row but be warned cottages in Wycombe Road near Prospect House were also referred to as Prospect Row (not to mention there being elsewhere Prospect Cottages and Prospect Villas- in case you haven't already noticed it Marlow people were very careless when inventing house names and haphazard at rendering addresses).

The road was built up from circa the 1850s but it was never fully developed, with market gardens and allotments rather than homes taking up most of the space down one side. A carriage building premises was the only commercial property firmly within Prospect Road. More on that in the post "A heroic former resident" linked below. There was also by the early 20th century a shop on the corner of Prospect Road and Queens Road but the entrance was in the latter.

In 1891 4 brick cottages within the road each consisting of 5 rooms and having a garden and outhouse were put up for sale "with good tenants" in place. The character of the street was what Victorians would have classed as "respectable working class" but there were several "rough" streets in the immediate vicinity and conditions weren't physically great in Prospect Road either. The road was taken over by the council in 1892 because its private owner had left the road surface in a "disgraceful state".

In 1894 Dr Dickson complained that a well used for drinking water by 6 of the cottages was at high risk of contamination due to it having been dug only a few feet from a privy and scarcely any further from a cess pit. He finally managed to get the well closed off six years later. 

You have to wonder if gas was not laid on until late in the street for in 1905 some wind blew over the lighted candle that George Sadler was using to light his room, nearly burning the house down. Thankfully both he and his neighbours were on the ball and sprang into action swiftly both to fight the fire and summon further help. It is possible George did have a partial gas supply as in this period some people did not fit gas lighting upstairs even if they did below. There was a fear of dying in your sleep from a gas leak if gas lights were used upstairs.

Prospect Road residents didn't cause much trouble compared to their nearby neighbours elsewhere in the Marefield area or Dean Street but there were a few incidents of fallings out that came before the courts. Eliza Allen newly arrived in 1901 from the virtual shanty town outside Marlow known as "Cape Town" soon fell out with her neighbours Nellie Harvey and Edith Howse. She was fined 5 shillings for assaulting each with the threat of a week in jail per fine if she didn't pay them. She hadn't turned up to court. Her husband William, who worked at the paper mills and as a bootmaker, had previously spent a month in jail for stealing a barrel when they lived at Cape Town. Eliza sometimes worked as a needlewoman. There's a post all about Cape Town on the blog here.

William and Elizabeth Todd, residents of Prospect Road, lost two sons during the First World War - William and Augustus. William had just married while Augustus died in Turkish custody in 1917 after months as a prisoner of war.

The road today, above, shows no historic buildings. The first homes there were all on the left side of the street with market gardens and allotments on the other side and at the end.

More related posts:

Grave of one time resident John Lunnon Taylor here.

An heroic historic resident here

Grave photo and info about former resident Alfred Peddle here

Sources Included:

Maidenhead Advertiser 22nd July 1891. South Bucks Standard 10th November 1899 and 8th September 1905. British Newspaper Archive.

England censuses, my transcription from microfilm.

Private correspondence.

Patients Treated At The First Marlow Cottage Hospital

  We have completed several posts about the original Marlow Cottage Hospital in Cambridge Road (1889 -1915), which you can find linked to below.  This one focuses on some of the patients treated there. The hospital was intended to serve Great Marlow, Little Marlow and Bisham but on average a third of patients came from places such as Lane End and Wooburn. Over half were children. The number of inpatients is hugely dwarfed by the outpatients who attended the hospital for more minor care, and also those in ill health that the nurses visited in their homes. 

Operations were performed at the hospital which had it's own operating theatre. The visiting surgeons (Dr John Dunbar Dickson and Dr Robert Culhane) were responsible for these but the day to day care was down to the Matrons - Nurse Mary Ann Cassidy in the first year, and Mary Anne Cole thereafter, sometimes assisted by a second paid nurse, probationer or servant. The most common operations were relatively simple - the removal of tonsils and adenoids in children for example. But some were more complicated. I've chosen to feature the unsuccessful 1894 operation on William Soley because the inquest gave really interesting details of the attempts made to revive him. Most operations did not end so badly however! 

William was a journeyman baker working for Mrs Spindlo in Chapel Street. He had a tumour in his groin and it was decided it must be removed quickly. He was reluctant to be operated on but was persuaded by the doctors that it was really necessary. As a working man he naturally had to consider carefully before committing to anything that would result in an unpaid period of time off work. Mrs Spindlo provided her cart to carry him to the hospital. He had previously undergone several examinations and it was determined that his heart and lungs were healthy enough to endure the operation. This was due to take place the following day. It would be performed by Dr Culhane, assisted by Dr Dickson, and attended by Matron Mary Cole. Chloroform was the anaesthetic available to them. Unfortunately within two minutes of it being administered and before any cuts were made, William stopped breathing and suffered a cardiac arrest. To revive him they tried not only artificial respiration, but also hitting William with wet towels, putting mustard on his chest, applying ammonia to his nostrils and cold water to his face. Sadly nothing worked. William died on the operating table. It was decided he had suffered an unpredictable reaction to the chloroform, which caused or accelerated a heart problem. The coroner's jury donated their fees to poor widow Eliza. 

Most of the adult male patients seem to have suffered work based injuries.  I will give two examples. 

Ellis Harvey, aged 56, was working on Dial Cottage in 1890. He was a bricklayer and was engaged on doing some exterior repairs. He fell from 18-20ft high scaffolding and suffered serious spinal injuries. A cart was requisitioned to take him straight to the Cottage Hospital. His injuries were beyond the repair of the doctors, and Nurse Cole could only do her best to make him more comfortable in the last days of his life. He died less than two weeks later. As before, the jury at the inquest into his death gave up their fees, this time donating them to the Hospital itself. It was believed he had suffered from a giddy spell, as the scaffolding was examined and was considered safe. (He was working for Mr Pierce of High Wycombe)

The second case is that of Amos Newell age 25. In 1893 he was working for his uncle Emmanuel Plumridge, who leased part of Star Meadow (off Wycombe Rd) from Mrs Atkinson of The Rookery. What Emmanuel was interested in was the large walnut trees there. They were the sort of crop that has bought a surprisingly large number of Marlow men and women to grief. More valuable relatively than now, a large number of people had convictions for stealing walnuts from Marlow trees, and those in Star Meadow were a hot target. (Trees at Little Marlow were also plagued by nut rustlers!) Emmanuel had been given the right to also collect the nuts when he hired the field. So his nephew Amos and another man were sent to harvest the crop. Amos did not work exclusively for his uncle whose main job was as a  highways and cartage contractor.  Amos is described as a farm labourer at his death. In the effort to reach more nuts, Amos clambered up the tree as he always did. He would stand on a bough and shake the branches with the other man remaining below. Unfortunately Amos misjudged his foothold and the bough he stood on broke off, and he plummeted to the ground. He was taken immediately to the hospital but died shortly afterwards. Another case involving a walnut tree was that of William Beaver, hawker, of Primrose Lea. If it was hazardous to knock the nuts down sober it was much worse to attempt it while "in drink" and unfortunately that's what William did in 1899. He fell 40ft from the tree, at Frieth. At first it seemed a miraculous escape from serious injury. His fall had been broken by lower branches to some degree and he had no broken bones but he did have 2 cuts on his head. He was taken by cart back to Marlow to have his wounds seen to at the Cottage Hospital. On the way there his wife Martha*, from who he was seperated, was informed of the accident and saw him briefly. She said she remarked it was not wise to pick walnuts when the worse for drink and sent the cart on it's way, not thinking him seriously injured. Dr John Dunbar Dickson saw to his head and sent William home. But the "friends" that he lived with would not recieve him and so he was returned to the hospital and admitted. He complained of a headache after 2 days, but his condition took a sudden dramatic turn for the worse on the forth day. He had became agitated and violent towards the nurse the night before, and the doctor said he was forced to put William in a straightjacket to protect the staff. Dr Dickson said William had begun to suffer from severe delirum tremens which had been aggrivated by his fall, and sadly William died "raving mad" a few hours later. 

 

Alcohol also played a part in the horrifying accident suffered by Lower Assendon bricklayer Phillip Joseph Joiner, who was working at Bourne End. Phillip was "worse for wear" and waiting to cross at the level crossing near Bourne End station. But a goods train was pulled up there and rather than wait for it pass, Phillip decided to crawl under the train through to the other side. Another man waiting at the crossing warned him to wait, but Phillip was determined. Sadly the train moved while he was on his way underneath and his legs were severely injured. He was taken to the Cottage Hospital quickly and both legs were amputated. He did not survive. He was 29.  

These cases might be depressing, so I'll end with an example of one that seemed very serious but had a happy ending. A "Master White" aged between 10-12 years old, fell out of a moving train between Bourne End and Marlow in 1892. He was travelling back to Marlow alone. It seems he had been leaning out of the window, when his cap fell off. In trying to make a snatch for it, he over reached and fell from the train. This is partial guess work from those at the the time as no one travelling on the train saw exactly what happened. Very luckily for the boy, someone in the fields adjacent to the rail line did see him fall. They ran to the spot and initially feared the worst as the boy was unresponsive and covered in blood due to some nasty head wounds. But he came round, and was carried to the Hospital. He was found to have a lot of cuts, and was naturally badly shaken. But under Nurse Cole's expert care, he was expected to make a full recovery. 

The times the staff could not save their patients always makes more of a ripple than those occasions where the sick make a quick recovery. The staff there saved hundreds of lives and lots of Marlow people would not be alive today if their ancestors had not spent time at the Marlow Cottage Hospital. 

*Martha Beaver had successfully applied for a seperation order from her husband in 1898 after he had assaulted her with a penknife while drunk. He was sentenced to 2 months in prison with hard labour and on release was made to pay a weekly sum for the maintenance of his wife and the three youngest of their six children then living at home. 

For more about the hospital see the following posts:

Matron Mary Ann Cole here

Matron Mary Ann Cassidy and the setting up of the forerunners to the Hospital here

Apothecaries and patent medicine sellers here

List of medical related posts here

The Romantic troubles of Dr Culhane here

Death by fire here

More on the Spindlo's here

Others are on the General History option in the top drop down menu. 

To find every mention of your ancestor here use the A-Z Person Index in the top drop down menu. 

See:

South Bucks Standard 16 September 1892, 03 August 1894. 

©Marlow Ancestors

 

Edward Riley - The Man Behind The Recreation Ground

Marlow has been fortunate to attract many benefactors and philanthropists over time some of whom have been largely forgotten and who we hope to resurrect in this blog. But one man who is thankfully well remembered for his generosity is Edward Riley R.I.C, largely because his name is attached to Riley Recreation Ground. Edward was an analytical chemist and metallurgist who co founded and acted as director of two steel companies. He was born in London and much of his professional life was based there, as well as in Leeds and at the Dowlais iron works in South Wales. I am not going to focus on his work, as this was mostly carried on away from Marlow, but instead I want to flesh out the man who spent the last couple of decades of his life here, or more specifically at his home "Bohemia" on the riverbank in Bisham. But I will just mention that Edward pioneered new developments in steel manufacture and won awards for doing so. His chemical analysis work was quoted by researchers for decades after he completed it, and he travelled to America at one point to advise miners and manufacturers there. Mrs Riley was interested in music and a published collection of songs were dedicated to her. 

At his death in 1914, Edward was said to have lived at "Marlow" (really Bisham) for 26-27 years. Bohemia was built for him in 1886 at a cost of £2436, not including the land itself. The builder was Marlow's Young Lovell and his team. For the first few years, he and wife Mary were generally listed as summer visitors at Bohemia. Even later they spent regular time abroad, on the continent and in 1894 they passed the winter in Egypt. These travels would provide material for Edward's lectures at the Marlow Institute. 

Edward and Mary quickly became involved in all kinds of initiatives that involved a committee. Marlow Rowing Club and Regatta, the Institute, Cottage Hospital, Provident Nursing Association, Anglers Association and more all saw their attention. He was vice president at the Institute for a number of years. And it was Edward that donated the use of his land for the erection of a landing stage and large hired marquee for the young Marlow Rowing Club as yet without a boathouse of their own. 

Edward was a subscriber to Marlow's original cottage hospital in Cambridge House, Cambridge Road. Mary was among the "lady visitors" who took turns to adopt the hospital for a week and make visits to cheer and comfort the patients. Those inside were not forgotten on other weeks however as the couple sent donations of things such as cake, fruit and vegetables on a regular basis. As the hospital was entirely funded by donations and what payments the patients could afford, these kind of gifts were frequently asked for and earnestly welcomed. 

Given this involvement with the hospital, it is perhaps surprising that Edward did not support the development of a new more spacious and convenient cottage hospital in Marlow. As a frequent attendee at the subscribers meetings, he could not help but be aware that the staff of the original cottage hospital worked liked Trojans and found their work made more laborious by the inconvenience of a relatively cramped building with steep stairs and inadequate plumbing. The whole staff in 1913 had in fact threatened to sever all ties with the hospital if no advancement was made in oft voiced plans to build a better one. But Edward thought the town could not afford to build or support a bigger hospital funded by donations, even though the building site had been donated for free. He feared that if funding should fail the cost of maintaining the hospital would be put on the rates (local tax) and that the local tradespeople and businessmen could not afford this as trade in town had been "ruined" by the advent of the motor car. Instead he thought perhaps the town could invest in a motor ambulance that would take patients to the well equipped hospitals in Maidenhead or High Wycombe, if they could amalgamate with one of those institutions. He thought getting enough donations to keep things going would be a continual struggle. Edward's concerns were not without foundation. The cottage hospital had trouble attracting subscribers at times, and the Charity Commission would only give permission for plans for a slightly smaller hospital than the committee originally planned, on affordability grounds. Edward obviously felt strongly about this because when his name was wrongly included in a list of donors to the building fund of new hospital, he wrote to the newspaper to correct the entry publicly. When the Charity Commission said the revised plans were affordable, the hon. secretary of the Marlow Cottage Hospital Committee, Mrs Dickson, wrote to Edward asking for his support. Instead he published his replies to her letters in the local press and it's fair to say they have something of a patronising tone. He said anyone who had read the Commissioners report would agree with him that a new hospital was unaffordable and that friends of his involved in raising subscriptions at other hospitals also supported his view. He must have forgotten that in writing to Mrs Dickson he was communicating with someone who had been directly involved in raising such subscriptions for many years herself and who through her husband Dr Dunbar Dickson, was very well acquainted with the costs and practical considerations involved in running such a place. Edward had objected to the number of women on the organising committee - a complaint which was ignored, unsurprisingly given that it was the ladies who had suggested the need for a new hospital in the first place and it was a ladies committee that organised the fundraising that allowed the first cottage hospital to open. In one letter Edward suggests that the new hospital was advocated for mainly by the doctors and for their own interests regardless of the welfare of the town! It's hard to agree with him given the number of people that donated to a scheme that apparently no one wanted. The hospital was built anyway and it must be said that Edward was no slacker at parting with his own cash when it came to helping the sick in ways he did support - he funded a home for the district nurses, aka the Riley Nurses' Home and clinic which remained in use for decades after his death. He offered the finances to do this as an alternative to his supporting the new hospital but initially the money was not linked to a specific purpose. He said that if a hospital scheme that he personally approved of was bought forward the money could go to that instead. It should also be mentioned that Mrs Riley attended many meetings of the hospital subscribers with her husband, and was for a time on the Ladies Commitee. (Posts about the struggle for the hospital can be found here and here) 

Edward subscribed to the Institute and freely gave his time to lecture there. Subjects included the process of providing good drinking water, mineral extraction, and a pet subject, the wonders of electricity with practical demonstrations included. The Rileys had the use of electricity at Bohemia even though Bisham and Marlow were not yet connected to the supply network. They used this to illuminate the outside of their riverside home during the Regatta, and the display is frequently described as the most beautiful along the river side. They included "coloured fires" and lanterns with coloured glass panel surroundings to create the illusion of multi coloured lights. The Regatta traditionally ended with a Venetian fete which was chiefly a procession of decorated and illuminated boats along the river. Of course Edward used electric lights on his entry and he was not an infrequent winner of the most handsomely dressed boat award. At the time of the coronation of Edward VII in 1902, Edward set up lights in the form of a giant E.R and displayed them on the front of ivy clad Bohemia. 

The couple owned a house boat also called Bohemia. This they took to Henley Regatta when they were in residence. They also bought a new type of  electric launch which they christened "Champion". A trial run out with friends on the Thames was said to be a success but the boat is not often mentioned thereafter so perhaps it had some shortcomings not immediately apparent! Edward also had a couple of punts. One was also decorated and entered into competitions, with an arch of bullrushes and mountain ash berries and rows of sunflower heads mentioned as one medal winning design. The other had a more conventional existence as a fishing punt. Edward Riley was a keen angler and sometimes reports of a good catch reach the press, caught with the assistance of fisherman James Cox. He put up cash prizes for occasional fishing competitions too. With his love of all things a river side town could offer, it's easy understand why Bisham became his residence. Or Marlow, as he referred to as his address in every source I've seen that he wrote himself. Of course a river side address did have it's downsides, and Bohemia was flooded downstairs during the severe 1894 Thames flood. 

The gardens of Bohemia were enthusiastically maintained and famously lush and colourful. The Riley's gardener Mr J Jordan  grew a huge range of fruit, vegetables and flowers and won many prizes in local shows. He provided plants and flowers that were donated to decorate the stage of plays and concerts held at venues like the music room, with some palms used to create an "exotic" atmosphere to one amateur production. 

Edward funded three scholarships to Borlase along with his half sister Miss Mary Mitchell Wilson who is often uncredited for her contribution. Edward also announced a £1,000 gift towards the greater cost of setting up a new school chapel there but when he died it was announced by his executors that they would actually pay for the whole along with his sister. 

Edward spoke at a debate at the Institute in favour of Sunday opening of parks, public gardens, and museums. He took the issue of public access to recreation facilities seriously, in particular in regards that children should have somewhere safe to play off the streets. With this in mind, when in Edward Riley bought the Crown Hotel and the accompanying Crown Meadow when it came up for sale in 1914. He gave the field  for the use of the town as a recreation ground under the care of a group of trustees including himself. He gave a sum of money for it's maintenance and envisaged the hotel should continue with the profits invested in the Trust. Crucially he allowed the Trustees to make what changes to the hotel as they saw fit in pursuance of this goal. Proper funding provision was of course important to Edward as we know. The park had not opened when Edward died at Bohemia in September 1914 aged 83. It was decided to sell the Crown Hotel but delays in achieving this and the First World War meant the new Riley Recreation Ground was not formally opened until 1921. This long delay caused frustration locally. In 1919 a public meeting was called in Market Square to protest at the lack of a safe place for children to play  - Higginson park was not yet open of course. Those attending expressed frustration at the fact children were still actively barred from accessing the future Riley Park. The quickly elected chair Mr James proposed a resolution in favour of the provision of a proper recreation ground being provided somewhere. It seems they felt Riley Park would never fully open. The resolution was seconded by Mr E Harvey and passed by the crowd.

Their fears were of course unfounded. The grounds were not laid out as intended but remain charmingly open and surrounded by trees. I'm sure Edward and Mary, who died in 1923, would love to see them now. Both are buried at Bisham Church. 

Related Posts

To find out about the many former uses of Riley Recreation Ground/Crown Meadow see the post here

The Dunbar Dicksons here

History of Institute "Books, Billiards, and ..beer?" here

All mentions of someone on the blog can be found under the Person Index. To cut straight to a list of posts, each  dedicated to a particular Marlow individual see "Biographies Of Individuals" on the menu. There is also a "Biographies Of Families" option there. 

Sources:

Local newspapers held at the British Library Archive and accessed via the BNA. 

The Engineer, 18 September 1914. 

The Engineer, collected edition. vol 76, 1893. (Morgan Grampian 1893) 

Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute Vol 47, (SPON  1895)

Engineering and Mining Journal Vol 49, American Institute of Mining and Engineering (McGraw Hill 1890)

©Marlow Ancestors

Early Residents of Berwick Road Marlow *updated June 2025*

Berwick Road is not one of the older streets in Marlow in terms of being a residential address. But it did exist as a lane to the workhouse and to farm lands before any private homes were built there.

This post tells the story of some of the earlier residents of the road.

In 1909 scandal hit when Nellie Harvey, a married woman, was accused of "immoral conduct" with an unknown young man on Marlow Common. On the day in question she had claimed a sick headache and sent her children out to play while her husband was out at work.

James Belcher, landlord of the Chair Makers Arms pub in Dean Street Marlow spotted her, he claimed, "misbehaving" with a man who wasn't her husband. This he told her husband John at his place of work in the hearing of multiple work colleagues, not to mention the customers in both his pub and the Carpenter's Arms, and other people he happened to meet in Market Square. 

A furious Nellie sued him for substantial damages on a charge of slander for spreading these rumours.

This charge could only stick if the allegation wasn't true. Unfortunately for Nellie multiple witnesses disproved her statement that she had only gone out once for 5 minutes so couldn't possibly have gone off with any man as it was alleged that she had done. One of her neighbours in Berwick Road Thomas Patterson, an insurance agent, was amongst those who saw her meet and go off with a young man who had arrived in the road by bicycle. Laura Allen of nearby Workhouse Lane (now Munday Dean Lane) was another witness whose testimony went against Nellie. Laura said that the man walked with an arm around Nellie's waist. The rogue!

Nellie's sons Henry and Francis gave evidence on the other hand in support for Nellie's statement that she had felt unwell and had not gone off away from home at all. Though out at play with their sister they said they did look in at home several times during the afternoon in question and believed her to be at home every time.

The jury (obviously with the judge's approval) found for James Belcher. He was awarded costs. The unfortunate Harveys moved away from Marlow. In 1921 they were in Maidenhead when the magistrates ruled that John had deserted is wife and 4 children and made an order that he should pay towards their maintenance. 

Witness Thomas Patterson's wife later had her own day in court as a witness. She was amongst a number of Marlow housewives defrauded by a dishonest employee working at the Marlow Branch of the Co-Op in 1912. Money they paid off their grocery accounts was embezzled rather than credited to them.

The residents above were amongst the relatively few in Berwick Road in the Edwardian era. The area, historically known as The Berwicks, was largely agricultural and horticultural with meadows, small holdings and the town's parish allotments (established in 1886) predominant in the immediate vicinity. There were no houses in Seymour Court Road then. Another feature of the road in these early days was that a large number of the houses were given female names, such as Ruby Villas. In 1903 builder George Smith named Christina and Revina Cottages after his infant daughters, continuing this trend. These still bear the name of his little girls but the other homes in the road have generally lost their original monikers. The homes George Smith built were not perhaps as pleasant as their name suggested when they first went up. George was told off for allowing them to be occupied by the first residents before he had supplied them with adequate sanitation!  

It was some years before the street received any lighting.

Adding to the Berwick Road agricultural feel was James Price's horse dealership, a long term fixture there. In 1910 James was accused of allowing a work horse of his to be ill treated by an employee. He was acquitted.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day.

Related Posts:

Early history of nearby Seymour Court Road here

Chairmakers Arms list of landlords / history timeline here

Index to posts about other places in Marlow including Dean Street and the Workhouse in Munday Dean Lane here

To search for ancestors on the blog please use the Person Index option on the drop down menu. As of June 2022 over 6,000 people are mentioned.

See:

Buckinghamshire Examiner February 22nd 1909 copy at the British Library retrieved via the BNA. Accessed August 2020. [Harvey case]

South Bucks Free Press 19th Jan 1923 [Harvey aftermath]

Census my microfilm transcription.

Judicial research Jane Pullinger.

Marlow Almanack and Directory 1891. 

Marlow Guide & Directory, 1907.