This is the third of a small series of articles in which I will discuss items that I have either purchased or just seen when visiting antique establishments in Hungerford and elsewhere.
Marlow Railway Station
Today I was caught in a terrific downpour as I went to get a newspaper and although I had not planned a visit, I popped into the Arcade. After purchasing a small Poole vase for Caron, I wandered up to the book section, more to pass the time than for any other reason. I looked through the books but none really took my fancy so as the signals were clear, I drifted into the railway section under Rafters café. A number of items took my fancy but I remained strong. That was until I found an 1873 photograph of the original Marlow Railway Station. The dealer had also noted that this self same photograph was probably the original used in the book, The Marlow Branch by Paul Karau and Chris Turner which was published in 1992.
Prior to moving to Hungerford, I had lived in Maidenhead for over twenty years and often visited Marlow to see the rugger team or just to sit by the river. Marlow also has strong literary connections with both Shelley (Who wrote The Revolt of Islam there in 1817) and T.S. Eliot who lived in West Street during the Great War. Thomas Love Peacock wrote Nightmare Abbey (1818) whilst resident in the town and lived only a short distance from Shelley. Our great friend, Jerome K Jerome wrote part of his Three Men in a Boat (1889) in The Two Brewers which was and maybe still is a local pub. It is also rumoured that Mary worked on her famous novel Frankenstein (1818) whilst living in Marlow with Shelley. But enough of the literary references let us go back to The Marlow Donkey as the Marlow branch line is affectionately known (Please do not ask me why).
My photograph which was taken, it appears, at about the time of the lines opening in 1873, shows a locomotive (Class 517 Number 522) at Marlow Station with a number of carriages hired from the GWR. The sepia photograph itself is delicious and is fading gracefully with age and the dealer had kindly added a photocopy of the photograph from Chris and Paul’s book for reference. Although simple, it was quite a find as made this rather damp writer quite happy.
I have not been to Marlow Railway Station since I moved to Hungerford in 2007 and even then, there was not much to see as the original station had been demolished in 1967. The present station is on the site of the old goods yard and was opened at the same time. Quite how the Marlow branch survived is open to question as it was an offshoot from the Maidenhead to High Wycombe line which was closed without much thought in 1970. Before, this one could travel north to Leeds and the like via Maidenhead and Bourne End (The next station along the line). Just to think that in the early days there were plans to link the Marlow branch with the Henley on Thames branch (Another surprising survivor) but this met with some local opposition and was dropped.
© Copyright john bristow and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence The ‘Marlow Donkey’ in 1962 taken 57 years ago, near to Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, Great Britain
I will not go into anymore detail about The Marlow Donkey as I think that you should experience it for yourself. Just go to Maidenhead and the trains for Marlow leave either from platform four or platform five and are reasonably regular. You will pass through Cookham (Of Stanley Spencer fame) and it is worth stopping there for a while as it is a fascinating village to visit. Cookham like Bourne End still retain their original railway buildings and there is a sense of a branch line mentality about the whole route. This and the complicated working arrangements at Bourne End make it an original experience.
I would travel to Marlow on an agreeable summers day as the Thames accompanies you for much of the way. There is a languid feel to the journey and Marlow itself is pretty laid back and has some excellent places to eat and drink. As far as I am aware, there are no plans to electrify the line which is good news.
If you can get hold of a copy of The Marlow Branch then this will add to your experience as the whole line has a varied and interesting history. But, be safe in the knowledge that at least one of the original photographs now has a loving and lasting home.
Happy Hunting
Stuart Miller-Osborne
