In April 2009 Michael published his first book, Marlow Memories, which was a compilation of his Nostalgia articles in the Marlow Free Press in 2005/6/7/8. These are as relevant today as they were at the time Michael wrote them, so I will be showing over the next month or two selections from that book. This might whet your appetite to purchase the book, or call into Marlow Museum in Court Gardens to browse through a copy, winter opening time Sunday 2.00 to 4.00pm.

Quoiting Square as it was a Hundred Years Ago

(Image: Michael Eagleton)

Michael wrote “We’ll begin this series with a special favourite of mine – Quoiting Square at the turn of the last century.

The posts in the foreground relate to the old game of Quoits, which gave the square its name.

For many years, my aunt and uncle ran the Clayton Arms, but this view with ‘Good Stabling’ noted above the yard-entrance, is a little before their time. There are also family connections with the adjoining Neighbour’s Stores.

I’m not sure when the housing on the left, in front of the Congregational (now United Reformed) church was demolished but it was certainly there when, at the age of five, I first attended the infants’ school a bit further up Oxford Road. The headmistress was the formidable Miss Dawson.

Opposite the school gates and now the entrance to Riley Road Car Park, was a two-penny library and sweet shop. How many of you remember that ?”

Michael then added a rider “Mention of Miss Dawson brought a lot of response and I was reminded of two teachers whose names I had forgotten – Miss Drew and Miss Creed.“

Ted and Kate Neighbour and daughter Doris proudly pose for the camera. Doris married and moved to Sussex.

In addition to the advertised Wethered’s ales and stouts, the noted speciality of this famous little shop was their home-cooked whole hams. The store remained in business until around 1950 when Ted retired and it was taken over as a Brakspears Off Licence. It is now [2009] a children’s shoe shop. The unusual wide wooden doorway on the left can still be seen.

A couple of years after this photo was taken the teenaged Doris, who was Dorrie to her friends, had a front seat view of the Royal Engineers parading and training in Quoiting Square. Their camp was at Bovingdon Green. Her hobby was collecting autographs and the ‘Sappers’ were a prime target. As a result of this she struck up a friendship with Sapper Albert Smith who, when he departed for the battlefields, left an inscription in Dorrie’s book: ‘To one who brightened many an hour during our training in Marlow. For the past, thanks. For the future, all good wishes. 24/12/16.’

That however is not the end of the story. When the war ended, he came back to find her. They married in 1926 and moved to his home town of Lewes in Sussex.