Nostalgia by Michael Eagleton

Probably the most fondly remembered pub in Marlow, for those who go back that far, is the Bank Of England, top of Dean Street, for many decades the domain of the Price family. Round the back were stables and there was a Horse Fair held there at least once a year.

The top picture looks to be a group picture of such an event under the Bank’s distinctive front canopy, and fairly certainly taken in the early 1930s.

There are some real characters in the line-up, and although the photo is not in good condition I have done my best to enlarge a few of them.

The late Eddie Price, son of long serving landlady Pat Price, once recognised several of the faces, but sadly I did not write them down.

If you look carefully towards the left, and above the dog, either someone has fallen over just as the cameraman took his shot, or else there is a bit of a punch-up in progress.

As regards the other two pictures on today’s page, one is from an earlier age, taken round the back by the stables, and the other, a nice view of the pub exterior, can be firmly dated in the 1950s. On the side wall magnification reveals a Town Council election poster for Fred Butler, Councillor and Mayor.

He was Mayor at the time of the 1953 Coronation and can be seen in the cine-film of the Town’s celebrations.

At this time the Bank was a Benskin’s house, but in our main picture the name of Weller’s of Amersham can just be seen. For many years “Weller’s Entire” puzzled me and I then found out that “Entire” was a popular combination in the early 1900s of Bitter, Mild and Stout, and usually served in quart jugs mixed up on the bar, although later available in bottled form, but this was less successful.

If it was still available today I might give it a try, but certainly not a quart! More about Eddie Price in next week’s column.

Contact Michael on michael@jazzfans.co or 01628 486571