A RECENT copy of The Marlow Free Press obviously found its way to the Isle Of Man, since following the recent 1969 picture of a Thames Valley bus in West Street, a lady now living in Port Erin, but formerly from West Street, asked if I could find a few more views featuring the same area.

Here we go then: three of the above have been published in this column not too long ago, but that particular edition doesn’t seem to have made it across the Irish Sea.

1 The oldest picture on the page: landlord and landlady outside The Red Lion, and under that wonderful lantern.

2 From the 1940s: The Ship, then a Wethered house, with C.Davis Bakers and their Hovis sign next door.

3 The original blue and white West Street enamel sign, this taken from a 1920s photograph, is still on the wall above Costa Coffee.

4 Miss Morris’ Fruit Shop in the 1930s, now the Penguin Fish Café.

5 An interesting scene, again from the 40s, Dormer’s General Store, the shuttered blinds of Saxby Jewellers, Belcher’s Taxi Service, and Mr Hollis’ Newsagents.

6 The Dutch Tea House, one of Marlow’s many former cafés, who, in their very ancient premises, were very proud of an interior exposed section of their original wattle and daub wall.

7 I’m guessing the 1930s. Two super cars outside Battings Hardware and Ironmongers, who, even at that date, had been established 100 years. Just about visible, on the right, a man who owned two bikes.

8 We are into the 60s now: the Mini is a clue. On the left the hanging sign of The Three Tuns: one of the few Marlow pubs that I have never managed to find a proper picture of. On the right, the sign of G. Clark Butchers.

9 G.E Stevens Corn Merchants and Garden Supplies. You may have seen this picture quite recently, and I commented on the shop’s powerful smell of various fertilisers.

Having sorted out the above I find I have enough West Street pictures to fill another page sometime, but something similar for Spittal Street might also be an idea.

Contact Michael on michael@jazzfans.co or 01628 486571