Life in 1930s Marlow Part Four- Style and Annual Events

Part one dealt with employment, homes and general shopping here. Part two covered sport and leisure plus transport and is available here

Part three dealt with childhood and religion and is available here

Post by Charlotte ...

Looking Swish 

Hair and cosmetics:

The hairdresser's in the town in the thirties was Maison George in the High Street. One of the hairdresser's trained there Miss Edith Neighbour ended up trading on her own account as a private hairdresser, offering the trendy permanent wave. You could write to or telephone her for an appointment. In 1935 a whole head permanent wave by Edith would set you back 15 shillings.

A 1930s permanent wave. Picture by Louis Calvete. Creative Commons Licence.CC BY-SA 3.0.

Maison George were agents for Ineco hair dye and "lady's beauty aids". 

There were at least five other hairdressers in Marlow apart from Maison George during the 1930s. Maison George gained a serious competitor in 1936 when Milady (as in "my lady") opened at 72 West Street. This was a beauty parlour which also offered high class hairdressing for women and children. It's opening "special offer" was a full head permanent wave for 15 shillings, the same price as Edith Neighbour above charged as her standard price for a full wave so Edith was good value, especially as she would come to your own home to wave your hair.

Perfumes and early cosmetics could be bought from Marlow chemists, though by no means all women routinely wore any makeup let alone a full face look. It was considered especially likely for "country" girls to go make up free. In the 1930s Marlow was still considered to be a country town. Cheap make up was not so easily available as it is today so cost constraints also played a role in determining how many cosmetics if any a woman could wear. The most commonly worn cosmetic product in the 1930s was face powder, usually in a pale shade. Eyebrows were severely plucked into a high arched shape and often darkened. Over plucking meant that a reasonable number of women lost their eyebrows and instead had to draw them on. Lip colour was available in various shades but red won out. Mascara was still applied by brush from a palette. Hollywood glamour looks encouraged fashionable women to exaggerate their lashes as much as possible. 

Some West Street and West End Pub Landlord Listings *updated May 2026*

UPDATED BY CHARLOTTE May 2026

For a full list old beer houses, pubs and inns in West Street over time, have a look at at our full pub listing post already published. There is likely to be a few you have never heard of! The Pubs Related option on the top drop down menu will lead to related posts. Use the A-Z person index to find every mention of your ancestor however small. In these listings we stop listing landlords at around the 1920s as this time period is the blog's focus.  However we record any information given to us about later landlords so please feel free to contribute your knowledge. 

THREE TUNS

Note: an earlier Three Tuns is recorded in the High Street. The listings below include both the High Street and West Street premises to give a proper picture.

[1685/6 - 1702 when in High Street- Joan Pomfret initially with husband William then alone as a widow. Her husband died quite soon after the two of them got permission 1685 to create an unnamed new inn. This newly fitted up inn presumed to be the Three Tuns as it was on the West side and the Three Tuns seems to have been subsequently ran by her two sons. Joan and William came from running the King's Head also in Marlow High Street. Son Richard seems to have taken over the King's Head initially when his parent's moved to their new premises. When he took over new inn it seems no one was interested in taking on the King's Head and it became divided and used for residential and other business premises initially. Richard himself may only have used the King's Head as a residence or brewing site rather than an inn. Joan's will is on the blog here]

1708- Richard Pomfrett? Initially at King's Head. Son of William and Joan who converted a house into an unnamed inn on the West side of the High Street in 1685. Richard's premises are also unnamed. He certainly had a brother John in the brewing trade. This is probably the John below who was at the Three Tuns. This leads me to believe that it is probable that the new inn created in 1685 was the Three Tuns held by William and Joan, Richard and then John successively.

1709 - John Pomfret (street location not given) probably brother of Richard Pomfret above.

1717 - John Pomfret (street location not given) He died this year.  "Large inn or tavern with close behind" 

1724 - Richard Aycott (street location not given)

1729- Richard Aycott. 

1733 - Henry Carter. At this point it belongs to the owner of the Marlow Mills John Lofting / Loftin 

1737 - Henry Carter? "Three Tuns New Inn". Why the " New"?  Well in 1740 a building (described as being situated in the High Street directly opposite properties which backed onto Marlow Place gardens) is named as the "old Three Tuns" so the pub seemingly moved to new High Street premises at some point probably in the 1730s. This is before the move to West Street. A Henry Carter was an ale house keeper and maltster a decade before. 

1752 - Widow Aycott - location not given

1753 - Widow Aycott (as above) Also offering cock fighting this year.

1788 - When Thomas Wethered leases the Brewery site in this year, the title deeds are said to say it is former site of the Three Tuns Tavern. 

1798 - Thomas Ollis (Premises owned by brewer Ralph Rose who also earlier leased The Dukes Head in West Street, among others).

1807- Thomas Ollis

1808 - Elizabeth Ollis, his widow (See here for a summary of Elizabeth's will) Elizabeth's sister married a Muspratt.

1830 -1. Mrs Ollis 2. Muspratt "High Street"

1831 - John Muspratt (address not stated)    

1832 - John Muspratt "High Street" 

1833 - John Musprat - "Quoiting Square" (Definitely an error in location by parish assessor who made a hash of West Street records!)

1839 - John Muspratt 

1843 - Levi White (A Levy White is listed as boot and shoe maker in "Oxford Street" in 1839 Robson's Directory and is present in 1833 parish Assessment in Quoiting Place/Oxford Terrace). A Levi White was a beer seller in Hurley in 1840. Levi received a heavy £2 fine 1843 for allowing card playing on his premises during Christmas week.  A blind eye had previously been turned to the practice. In the same year Levi was fined for selling short measures.

1844 - Levi White, who hosted a Conservatives dinner.

1853 - Levi White. West Street.

1854 - Mrs Mary White. West Street.

1858 - William Goldswain, died 1859. 

1859 - Stephen Goldswain. West Street. (And gardener) The death notice from this year of Mrs Goldswain age 65 describes her as the landlady of the Three Tuns. 

1861 - Edward August (and gardener). A twice weekly chess club was established at the club in this year. Strictly no gambling allowed on the games.

1863 - Edward August (also seedsman) [see also George and Dragon].West Street.

1865 - William Bowles.

1869 - William Bowles (and fruiterer). West Street. Formerly of the Jolly Maltsters / Malsters, Dean Street  - see here.

1871 - William Bowles. West Street.

1872 - William Bowles to William Smith. 

1873 - Joseph Smith to Charles Munday.

1875 - 1. Charles Robert Munday. 2. William Maisey "Three Tons"

1880 - William Maisey. West Street. In this year the premises has every window broken by the election rioters - for more see here Later the same year William's wife Martha Eliza dies at the inn age just 44. 

1883 - James Arlett. West Street. Dominoes and Bagatelle offered.  George Barnes of Oxford Road was employed as an extra pair of hands at the bar every Saturday night at this point.

1887 - 1. James Arlett (2nd source Thomas Arlett) 2.William Slater "of Walton on Thames" 

1890 - Frederick Walker. West Street. Frederick is warned after several complaints about the conduct of his premises in this year. The magistrates said that if he is bought before them again, they will endorse his licence (a second endorsement would mean Frederick would be stopped from acting as a publican)

1895 - "The Three Tuns Hotel" 

1903 - Frederick Walker - also a job master. 

1908 - Frederick Walker forced to offer a public apology to fellow publican Charles Henry Porter of the Railway Hotel after spreading rumours that Porter was going bankrupt. Porter instigated a suit for slander against him.

1909- Frederick Walker also wine and spirit merchants, job master, post master. Promises good stabling. (Post master as in horses for hire, he does not run a post office!)

1915 - F .Walker. West Street.

1923 - 1934 F Walker.

1934 +  Reg Speller. He had worked at Fred Walkers garage / motor hire business since 1919. Reg was active in protecting Marlow during the second world war through various roles. Perhaps least known is the fact an aircraft component factory was located at the spacious rear of the Tuns and Reg was to oversee it. 

Closed 1964 on Reg's retirement. 

SADLERS ARMS /SADDLERS ARMS (with one d is most common spelling) Had yard and outbuildings at rear.

1853 James Allum (Also marine store dealer) Wife Ann 

1854 - James Allum (also saddler) 2. Francis Allum, also saddler. 

1871 - James Allum (also saddler).

1876 -James Allum dies. Frank Joshua Hudson takes over (also butcher). 

1881 - Frank Hudson (also a butcher) Wife Elizabeth.

1883 - Joseph Wilcox (and dining rooms) 2. Frederick  Coleshill.

1884 - Frederick Coleshill (Summoned for allowing gambling on his premises)

1888 - Frederick Coleshill to Charles Coleshill. Fred looks to have moved to the Jolly Cricketers/Cricketers Arms Bovingdon Green. See here

1891 - Charles Coleshill.

1892 - Charles Coleshill transfers premises to John Adams.

1903 - John Adams transfers to William(?) Turner.

1904 - Henry (?)(possibly William) Turner transfers premises to William Root. 

1909 - Closed by authorities under powers to limit number of licensed property in an area. Last landlord - William Root. It's relatively small size counts against it at the hearings which decide it's fate. William was evicted from the pub after it closed.  He enters into a dispute with the brewery Wellers about how long he should be given to vacate them premises but gains no added time. 

More info here

THE VOLUNTEER (more Henley Road really). Next door but one to the Hand and Flowers, adjoining Town Farm.

1861 - Edward Hatton. He moved into the premises that year.

1864 - Edward Hatton. Biographical post on him has been published on the blog previously and is available here

Pub gone by 1872. Wethereds brewery retained ownership and attempted to revive the beerhouse in 1888 and 1889 but a new license was refused.

THE BONNET O' BLUE / BLUE BONNET(S)/  BONNET SO BLUE. Named after the blue bonnet uniform of the little girls of the close by charity school.

1833 - William Stratford "Bonnet So Blue"

1839 - William Stratford

1843 - William Stratford dies and son Robert Stratford takes over. ("Blue Bonnets"). William's will is included within the post here which includes more info about the Bonnets. 

1851 - Robert Piggott. Fined for allowing card playing on the premises. However it was noted that Robert and the two others convicted of the same offence were all supporters of the opposite political party to the arresting constables and the police stings may have been unfairly focused on them. 

1855 - James Pattison. Suspected of running  a disorderly house that "encouraged music and dancing" but the magistrates dismissed the case as unproven. 

Royal Standard - (in the sub divided Albion House) Existed 1856. Good chance this was a new name for the Bonnet O'Blue which appears to have been in virtually the same spot, if not the exact one.

1869 - John Jefferys/Jeffries

1871 - John Jefferies (also gardener)

1872 - "Standard of England" John Jeffrey. 

1881 - John Jefferys  (also gardener) /Jefferies

1883- John Jeffries.

Licence ended 1890 with the premises taken into use by "Mr Grove in connection with his school". This was Borlase. And for Grove read Graves. 

HAND AND FLOWERS

(Occasionally known as Hand With Flowers / Hand Of Flowers in early records), probable literal interpretations of the pub sign.

Building dates from 1700s.

1853 - George Johnson "Henley End"

1864 - Sarah Johnson "West Street" Widow of George Johnson. She was the daughter of William Stratford of the Bonnet O'Blue.

1871 - Sarah Johnson

1877 - Sarah Johnson dies age 60, and licence was transferred to Mrs Stratford. 

1881  Keziah Stratford (Sister in law of Sarah Johnson above).

1882 - Mrs Stratford 2. Henry Carter (we now go into period of proposed, rejected, temporary etc licencees that gets confusing but all here are as listed in contemporary records)

1883 - Keziah Stratford, 2. Ann Carter.

1884 - Ann Carter 2. James Young (proposed transfer, dealt with early following year)

1885 - Ann Carter, but managed until October by her daughter in law Mrs Mary Ann Carter wife of Henry. Mary wanted to give up months earlier but was continually pressed by the brewery to stay there. The date they wanted her to stay until kept being pushed back, even when Mary said she had agreed to rent a cottage and really needed to leave as she would otherwise be paying rent on a cottage she couldn't live in (it was a legal requirement to have a residential publican- so Mary would have to live at the Hand and Flowers if the brewery wanted the licence for the premises renewed that year). In June 1885 it was agreed that a James Young would take over the licence but he wasn't immediately free to move in and take over so Fullers got Mary to continue until the end of September. This came and went without Young being ready. She eventually locked the pub up and left regardless, her patience worn thin.  In November Fullers brewery suddenly took possession of the premises and changed all the locks so Mary could not get to the fixtures and fittings belonging to her family which were supposed to remain in situ and be bought by the new landlord but had not yet been paid for. Frederick William Simpole was sent to manage the pub temporarily for the brewery, James Young apparently still not being ready. Mary Ann Carter tried to get past Simpole so nothing could happen to her unpaid for fixtures and fittings. A scuffle ensued and Mary Ann summoned Simpole for assaulting her. The court said any assault was minimal and gave him a nominal fine. A counter summons from Simpole against Henry Carter, Mary's husband, also for assault was not proceeded with. In December the licence finally transferred to 2.) James Young. 

1891 - 1907 James Young. In 1897 the pub was sold at auction to a Mr Canning for £1,070.

1907 - James Young had died. Eliza Swadling took over, his married daughter.

1920 - Mrs Eliza Swadling "No. 128 West Street"

1939 - Albert Swadling, son of the above. He was born in the Hand & Flowers itself and was 30 years the landlord.

1950 Albert Swadling, applied for the right to sell alcohol for off the premises consumption as well.

WHITE LION (FORMERLY THE FOX)

Premises believed to have started in 1830. Named The Fox by 1833 when Henry John Franklyn was landlord. He was followed in the premises by William Sayer but whether it was known as the Fox or the White Lion under then is uncertain.

1852 - unknown Stephenson. Probably John below.

1861 - John Stephenson. Born in Lancashire. John was a brewer living in Hayes Place behind the White Lion on the 1851 census and ran the Coach and Horses on the other side of West Street in 1852.

1871 - John Stephenson. 

1872 - John Stephenson

1880 -1. John Stephenson who died that year 2. Catherine Stephenson (born Westmoreland, wife of above).

1883 - 1. Mrs Catherine Stephenson 2. Mary Probert, widow. She was the daughter of the landlords of the Carpenter's Arms Joseph and Charlotte Rose.

1887 -Mary Probert.

1888 - Phillip K Harman (Married Mary Probert above, who transferred the premise's licence to him)

1891 - Phillip Harman (also a painter) Household included stepson Thomas Probert, age 10 who would grow up to be a Carpenters Arms landlord.

1897- pub became the new club headquarters for the Marlow Victoria football team. This was a "junior" team, typically this meant players 15-20 years old.

1901-1903  Robert Harman. Also a painter.

1903 - Phillip Harman- the previous one back?

1905 - P Harman license transfer to Thomas Henry Verlin.

1905-7- Thomas Henry Verlin transferred license to David Bedwell.

1911 - license transferred from David Bedwell to John Copley.

1912 - licence transferred from John Copley to Richard Evans.

1913 - licence transferred from Richard Evans to Henry Green and then to Edward William Walker.

1914 - Edward William Walker to Joseph Gilby.

1914-16 Joseph Gilby "White Lion Inn". Early in 1916 licence was transferred to William Henry Morris who had come from the Red Lion Great Milton, Oxon.

1916-19 William Henry Morris as above.

1919 - Closed. 

DUKES HEAD 

1761 - Elizabeth Wright. North side of West Street.  The White Horse  (first reference 1755 under Mr Crocket) appears to be very close. Further research to follow. .

WHITE HORSE

Appears to have been very close to the Duke's Head. North side of West Street. 

1755,56= Mr Crockett. A place to register horses for the Marlow Races.

1786 - Mr Goldswain. 

1792- the records of the Robert Boothby charity tell us that in 1792 it was funded out of the rent generated by a building near the Market Place "formerly the sign of the White Horse". In 1832 this Boothby charity house was described as on the North side of West Street and was in residential use. 

The last mention of a pub of this name in Marlow as a going concern  is in the 1810s well after the West Street White Horse closed. This is because a Spittal Street premises began using the name (probably by 1803). This became the Greyhound in 1819. In other words there were two pubs called the White Horse which were not necessarily related businesses. 

The Harrow

Mr Bennell. 1849. This looks to be Samuel Bennell who was also a wheelwright. The beer shop was broken into by burglars who knocked a hole in the back of the pub in 1849. This pub seems to have been far up the road, in what we would call Henley Road today. That it is an earlier name for the Hand Of Flowers can't be ruled out. Later mentions of The Harrow have been ascertained to refer to The Plough in Little Marlow Road, due to misinterpretation of the pub's pictorial sign, and not this pub.

Researched by Charlotte Day and Kathryn Day, post written by both.

Related Posts:

To find a mentions of an individual here, use the A-Z person index in the top drop down. 

List of 100+ Matlow beer sellers, pubs, ale houses etc here

Index of pub related posts here

Other West Street related content: here

Index of posts related to everyday life in old Marlow: here

 

Sources include:

1853 Mussons and Cravens Commercial Directory. 

 Kelly's Post Office Directory 1847,1863,1864,1869,1877, 1881,1883,1903,1907,1911, 1915,1923,1939. Published by Kelly's Directories Limited.

1833 Parish Assessment. Original notebooks held by my family and transcribed by Charlotte Day.

 Historic newspapers from the British Library Archives accessed by me via the BNA: South Bucks Standard 23 December 1876, 14 Oct 1892, 21 June 1907, Oxford Journal September 1753, Bucks Herald 23rd June 1877, 7 November 1885, 4 June 1887, 30 July 1892. 

Piggots Directory 1830,1844

Robson's Directory 1839

Will of Elizabeth Ollis, held at National Archives, Kew and transcribed by Charlotte Day. 

Will of John Pomfret, proved 1717, held at National Archives Kew, as above

Will of Richard Pomfret, proved 1702, as above. 

Property records research by Charlotte Day.

Census 1861,1871,1881,1891

Clayton Family Archive papers at Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies

The Book of Marlow, Cairns, A J, 1976, Barracuda Books.

Will of John Lofting, written 1733, proved 1742. 

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use this research for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog and a link here so that my sources do not lose credit for information provided. Thanks.

Edward Hatton, Town Crier, Beer Seller and More - updated December 2024

Updated July 2023

Edward was born 1832 in Marlow to William and Mary Hatton and grew up in Dean Street (then usually going by it's original name Well End, not to be confused with the hamlet of Well End near Little Marlow/Bourne End). His father was an agricultural labourer, his mother a housewife.

He appeared on the 1851 census as an apprentice shoemaker lodging with widow Mary Perry and her children, one of whom was also an apprentice shoemaker. Edward must have been nearly finished with his apprenticeship as he was married the next year to Sarah Blewett and apprentices were not allowed to marry.

Sarah was a satin stitch worker like so many Marlow women at that time. She grew up in Gun Lane, just off Dean Street. Gun Lane is now known as Trinity Road.

On the 1861 census Edward, Sarah and 5 children lived in Cambridge Place (no longer exists, was off Cambridge Road). By the next year they had moved to West Street (Henley Road end) where Edward ran the Volunteer beer house. This doubled as a lodging house. It was located very close to the Hand and Flowers. Shoemaking was a competitive and very poorly paid trade so having a try at another occupation was very tempting. Edward knew more than most the precariousness of the shoemaking trade as his uncle also called Edward Hatton had gone bankrupt while following the trade in 1856.

In 1862 Edward was fined a shilling for using a short measure in the pub. (Plus 12s 6d costs!)

In 1867 one of his lodgers, 23 year old William Stacey and another young man John Howard stole a lamb from a field and killed it for food. They hid the remains in his garden. A third of the lamb was given to Edward to cook. He was thus charged with knowingly receiving stolen goods but was found not guilty. Several respectable citizens of the town signed a statement in support of Edward. They said he was of good character, and he also bought some character witnesses to the trial. Stacey and Howard both recieved 6 months with hard labour for their efforts. (Stacey had turned kings evidence but no reduced sentence for him as he was regarded as the instigator of the deed.)

Several tradesman wrote to the court to testify to his good character, and two more appeared personally to do the same- William East a market gardener and Owen Wright a baker.

By 1871 Edward, Sarah and 8 children were back in Cambridge Place with Edward shoemaking once more.

On the 1881 and 1891 census they lived again in West Street in the first cottage after Potlands Alley, effectively next door to the Red Lion Pub. Their little 4 room home no longer exists. It has been replaced by a car park but there are photos of the Red Lion on the SWOP site which allow you to catch a glimpse of the Hatton's home. Life was not altogether happy here for the Hattons. Sarah was suffering from ill health and in 1898 was described as in a weak and "nervous condition". The poor woman found herself in court when her 23 year old son Ernest hit her on the arm with a poker. Furious father Edward took out a warrant for Ernest's apprehension as he'd left hurriedly afterwards. Eliza made a sad figure in court, sobbing and begging the authorities not to press the charges as she was had not been much hurt. Her husband did not agree, and nor did her other son Walter who had "knocked about" Ernest on discovering the offence. Edward said this was not the first occasion on which Ernest had behaved shamefully to his mother and he had already decided to ask the courts for an order of "ejectment" to be made to remove him from their family home. Ernest admitted hitting his mother but without the intention of hurting her.  Magistrate General George Higginson did not take kindly to Ernest's self pitying defence or complaints relating to the punishment already inflicted by his brother. Higginson said that Ernest had appeared to loose "all sense of what is right" and would be sentenced to 6 weeks in prison with hard labour after which he'd be bound over to keep the peace. On hearing this Ernest burst into tears, but Higginson he could not be moved to pity because "a man who strikes his own mother is unworthy of consideration". He added that brother Walter had acted quite naturally in punching Ernest on discovering his actions towards their mother. On a more positive note Ernest was a one time player for Marlow Football club, as well as some of Marlow's less well known teams.  

Difficulty with his son was not the only of Edwards woes. It's not often remembered that if an elderly person unable to provide for themselves was admitted to the Union workhouse in Saunderton had adult children earning their own living, the children were expected to contribute to the maintenance of their family member. The amount depended on the children's income and dependents. In 1886 Edward found himself in court because he had failed to make the required payments in respect to his father. The court had previously considered his circumstances when deciding the sum to be contributed but Edward thought the claim unreasonable. He said he had 6 children at home age 7-19, only two of whom were working and two others had had been sick for a number of months. The paper said Edward's defence was "rambling" and whether it was or not, did him no good as he was ordered again to pay up. Edward told the magistrates the decision was "unchristian" and threatened to go to gaol rather than pay but I think he did not carry out this threat. 

In 1901 Edward was listed as a bill poster. This was an official job which involved pasting up official parish notices, like that of an upcoming election. It often in Marlow went hand in hand with the role of Town Crier and this was also the case with Edward. It looks like he took on both roles in 1894.

Edward's other role in the town was as an active Wesleyan preacher on the local circuit, from 1876-1904. 

He died in 1913, Sarah in 1911.

To find all mentions of a person on this blog use the Person Index on the top drop down menu. To find all pub and beershop related posts see the Pub related option in the same menu. For a full list of old Marlow beer shops see the list  here

©Marlow Ancestors. 

References:

Bucks Herald 13th April 1867. Copy held at the British Library. Accessed by me online via the British Newspaper Archive October 2020.

Reading Mercury 28th June 1862, as above.

GRO index of marriages, and of deaths online. 

Census my transcript from microfilm.