Wellingrove, Station Road

Wellingrove is a house in Station Road Marlow, originally called Wellingrove Villa. (Sometimes rendered as Welling Grove)

The first mentions of anyone residing there I have found were of Lawrence and Mrs Smith who lived at Wellingrove in 1869, who will feature in a separate post on the blog in the future, and of Mrs Jane Townsend who died at Wellingrove in September 1874. She was described as the elderly widow of Joseph Townsend J.P. The couple had married in Hackney in 1827* and initially lived in London where Joseph worked as a land agent and surveyor. In around 1831 they moved to Wood End House at Medmenham near Marlow, the Townsend family estate. After around 20 years the couple decided to rent out Wood End and live in Marlow. This was initially in the High Street. (A post on Joseph Townsend will follow.)

After Jane's death the contents of Wellingrove, down to a library of some 500 books, 35 paintings and a  good stock of wine, was sold across a two day auction held at at the house.

The next known occupiers after Jane Townsend were Charles and Mary Jubber who had moved to the area from London. They were in residence by 1876. Charles previously ran Long's Hotel in New Bond Street London with his brother Henry. This they had taken over from their deceased father. They also had a business as spirit and wine merchants together but dissolved all of their business partnerships in 1873. Long's Hotel was a high class hotel that nevertheless had rooms set aside on the ground floor away from other guests for the use of raucous men who wanted to sit together drinking and gambling after their Gentleman's clubs shut down for the night.

Charles threw himself into life in his new riverside home town. He kept a luxury steam launch called The Plover which he lent to the Oxford University rowing crew's training staff when the crew practiced in Marlow or nearby for the traditional Oxford and Cambridge boat race. The launch was also made available to officials at the Marlow Regatta. Charles was one of those behind the setting up of the modern incarnation of the regatta. He was also a keen fisherman and a fellow of the Royal Zoological Society. Unfortunately of Mary little can be discovered except that she was a Sussex lady by birth. The couple lived quite modestly in Marlow with just one live in servant but they had plenty of money as besides their expensive steam launch they had enough to buy several acres of land near the new railway station. Charles advertised for builders to erect him two semi detached villas on some of the land. 

Charles and Mary left the town for Richmond in Surrey in 1886.

By 1912 Wellingrove is described as a "High School". A northern German governess known as Erna Warnemunde posts adverts in regional press seeking an holiday position in that year. She tells us that she speaks fluent German, French and Italian. The teaching of foreign languages by conversation was a speciality of the establishment. The principals of the school were the Misses Cooper and Farmer. It was a boarding school for young ladies and advertised itself as "eminently suited to girls requiring pure and bracing air". The principals promised to take special care with the girls physical health by means of "nourishing food" and outdoor games and walks. Florence Farmer had earlier coached young boys for entry into Borlase School and both her and Violet Cooper were among the specially invited guests to the opening of new school rooms at Borlase in 1910. 

Undated advertisement from Paton's School Guide, courtesy of Michael Eagleton. 

A later resident of Wellingrove in 1915 was Mrs W Cousin. She was a member of the British Science Guild and the Eugenics Education Society. The latter was later renamed the Eugenics Society and followed a now discredited science. Eugenics could be "positive", that was encouraging those seen as desirable to have as many offspring as possible to improve the future of the society and race which they belonged to, or "negative" which was focused on promoting the allegedly scientifically proven benefits of encouraging or preventing "undesirable" people from reproducing.  Undesirables might include the less intelligent, those with disabilities, non-white people, criminals or the poor. In England the most serious concern was usually that the poor working classes would keep having children! At the time being poor and being a potential criminal was usually seen as the same thing. Whether Mrs Cousin leaned towards so called "positive", or "negative" eugenics can't be ascertained by me. She may have been a teacher in the school. 

By the later 1920s members of the Townsend family again lived at Wellingrove. A Miss F Townsend was one of the same new breed of unashamedly intellectual women as Mrs Cousin but in a uncontroversial way -she was a member of the Classical Association, the Women's Farm and Garden Association, and the South Eastern Union of Scientific Societies.

This blog focuses on the pre 1930s period so I'll leave it there. I will fill in more information about any other historic residents of the house as I find them.

To find more posts related to Station Road or any other Marlow address see the Street index here. Thousands of people are mentioned on this blog. All mentions of each individual can be found on the A-Z  Person Indexes.

*Jane was nee Henderson.

Sources included:

Annual Report of the Eugenics Society, 1936-7. 

J. G. Harrod's &Co Royal County Directory of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. United Kingdom, J.G. Harrod & Company, 1876.

The Pall Mall Budget: Being a Weekly Collection of Articles Printed in the Pall Mall Gazette from Day to Day, with a Summary of News. United Kingdom, n.p, 1874.

1891 England and Wales Census for Richmond, Surrey, Rootspoint.Com. Crown Copyright.

Lloyds List, 1st March 1873.

England and Wales Census for Great Marlow 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1881 my translation from microfilm. Crown Copyright.

Kelly's Post Office Directory for Buckinghamshire etc 1883 published by Kelly's Directories Limited.

Sun, London. 17th May 1832. Bucks Herald 17th October 1874. Bedfordshire Mercury 19th September 1874. All British Library Archives.

Hornsey Journal,  April 5th 1912 as above. 

Paton's List of Schools. 

Revd Alexander Henderson

Alexander Henderson arrived in Marlow to become minister of what was then the Congregational Church and is now Christ Church in Quoiting Square in 1882, taking over from the popular William Morton Mather. You can read a biography post on Mather here.

Alexander was a young unmarried Scot who had recently been at New College London. As a child his ambition had been to be an engineer. He realised this dream and was achieving success - he was actually described as a genius in fact- in his chosen field. However he then described how an unexpected calling for the church came upon him with increasing urgency and he decided to attend New College and seek ordination instead. He won the Marlow job in July 1882 and was ordained as minister in October that year. His father, also a Reverend with the name Alexander Henderson, was amongst those present at that time having journeyed down from Perth.

Though Alexander was not long at the church in Marlow- a little under a year- he made a mark by instigating and dedicating a new Sunday School and made two historic firsts for a non-conformist minister in the years after he left Marlow, which must have gladdened the hearts of his former congregation as they were widely reported in religious press at the time. (See below)

Another project he had at Marlow was to encourage and much expand a scheme set up by his predecessor which saw female Congregationalists visit at home other women connected to the church, especially poorer ones, to increase a sense of fellowship between them regardless of class background. Alexander knew it could be harder for women with their home and childcare responsibilities to attend church as often as they might have wanted to. He also knew home visits from the minister, while often very welcome and sometimes indispensable, could 'get in the way' a bit. He thought that the ladies would not be too self conscious in the presence of other mothers and wives however and would sing hymns together with them or listen to Bible readings from them whilst also attending to their sewing or other tasks. Alexander additionally encouraged female only prayer meetings in his newly done up Sunday Schoolroom.

Amongst the women of the Marlow congregation was an Elizabeth Chown of nearby West Street to whom he became engaged.

News reports do not give a reason for his resignation from Marlow in 1883 but do say that he was going to be missed by his flock. 

The next year he was a Congregational minister at Plymtree in Devon, before moving to Ware Hertfordshire in 1888 and later to a church at Old Gravel Lane, Wapping London. At the latter his flock were said to be largely dock labourers and their families.

Alexander became the first non-conformist to be appointed chaplain to Hanwell Mental Hospital and the first such chaplin to the Brentford Union (catering to the poor). He held both posts for over 15 years.

In 1918 he published a pamphlet "Redemption Draweth Nigh" which could be bought for a bargain 3 halfpennies. As far as I can see this was his only published work. At around the same time he was campaigning against local cinemas potentially being allowed to open on Sundays.

He died in 1938 at his home  Whitchurch Villa, Hanwell following a short but severe illness. He was aged 85. Alexander and his wife Elizabeth were married for 53 years and had several children.

Alexander was succeeded at Marlow by John Frederick Morgan Glanville.

To find other posts about ministers of the Congregational church, consult the index here

Sources:

Summers, William Henry. History of the Congregational Churches in the Berks, South Oxon and South Bucks Association: With Notes on the Earlier Nonconformist History of the District. United Kingdom, W. J. Blacket, 1905.

Christian World [Journal] 12th October 1882.

Maidenhead Advertiser 19th September 1883. 

The Non-Conformist. 1st October 1885.

Middlesex County Times. 13th August 1938. British Newspaper Archives.

Ealing Gazette. 29th June 1918. As above.

© MarlowAncestors. 

List of landlords & timeline for The Hare and Hounds, Red Pits, Henley Road

*Updated by Charlotte December 2025*

1766 - A pub of this name existed in Marlow

1833 - Richard Ruddle/Riddle (Address given as Red Pits). A biographical post on the Ruddle family of the Hare and Hounds is available here. Richard was already a Marlow publican in 1829. Most likely this was at the Hare and Hounds but we cannot be entirely certain as publicans did sometimes move around.

1841 - Richard Ruddle dies aged 50, on 13th November. Martha Ruddle takes over. She is his widow.

1844 - Martha Ruddle.

1847 - Mrs M Ruddle.

1851- Elizabeth Ruddle. Daughter of Richard and Martha above. Martha has just died at the inn.

1854 - Augustus Cook.

1857 - Mr Leach.

1859 - George Leach.

1869 - George Leach.

1883 - George Leach.

1884 - Ben. Leach (Son of George Leach who died in April this year age 73).

1884 - Wethered's Brewery labourer Joseph Finch dies as a result of injuries sustained while delivering beer to the Hare & Hounds. Made delivery on Saturday morning, something he had done for several years. The cellar did not allow for two men to work in there stacking barrels so Joseph was working alone, and using a pulley to lift them. One slipped and fell on his ankle causing a severe injury. It weighed 4cwt.  Benjamin bought Joseph back to Marlow, and he was then taken to Reading Borough Hospital. (Marlow was as yet without it's Cottage Hospital.) He died suddenly 6 days later of Delirum Tremens bought on by accident. Verdict: Accidental death. Widow Susannah. (Benjamin said he had known Joseph for 4 years and he was always sober and steady.)

1886 - Benjamin Leach - gets in trouble for selling adulterated gin (watered down) in a sting by plain clothes policeman. Had displayed a sign to say gin was watered down, in passage and on cellar door behind bar but policeman had asked for it pure and said the signs not obvious enough. Benjamin said he had no intention to defraud hence signage and it had been a simple mistake. Fined £1 plus costs. 

1889 - Benjamin Leach.

1891 - Benjamin Leach "Henley  Rd" .

1899 - Benjamin and Emma Leach have 15s stolen from their till located in the cellar, which is accessed from the bar. The thief also stole takings from the Royal Oak, Bovingdon Green on the same day. He is caught and sentenced to 3 months with hard labour. Daughter Nellie was serving in the bar at the time.  See the grave of Benjamin and Emma here

1901 - 20 at least Emma Leach  (Widow of Benjamin Leach).

1929 - J Henderson. Hires cars and sells petrol too!

1939  - Bernard M Thorn.

1953 - George Joslin.

(From at least) 1958 - (at least) 1965 Rupert Gordon Joslin and Mrs Joslin. In 1958 Julie Andrews visits the pub for a party held there by the family of her fiancée. Afterwards she sings numbers from My Fair Lady for the Joslins and guests.

This post will be updated as new information emerges. All listings are as noted in original sources, including inconsistent spellings. 

Related posts:

 To find all mentions of a person on this blog use the A-Z Person Index option in the top drop down menu. 

Marlow's 100+ beer retailers A-Z here

For more pub content choose the Pub Related option on the menu.

SOURCES

1852-3 Mussons and Cravens Commercial directory.

Kelly's Post Office Directory-

1859, 1864,1883,1903,1907,1911, 1915,1920

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

Census 1841,1851,1861,1871,1881, 1891

Pigots Directory 1844

Numerous historic newspaper reports of events and licence hearings, accessed via the BNA: including:  Berkshire Chronicle 29 May 1884, Reading Mercury 20 November 1841, South Bucks Standard 12 May 1899. 

Bucks Free Press August 15th 1958, Bucks Free Press Archives.

©MarlowAncestors. You are welcome to quote from or use this research for family or local history purposes if you want to but please credit this blog and link back here so both we and the original sources remain credited for the information provided.