Town Councillor, Mayor, shopkeeper and journalist, the late Cyril Chalk was a contributor to many local publications. I well remember his weekly column in the former “Marlow Times” but I confess I have no memories at all of “The Marlow Magazine”, possibly it was a church newsletter.

Above right is the piece he wrote for it in 1978 about the former Primitive Methodist Chapel, now the Liston Hall.

Cyril’s page included a vintage picture of Chapel Street with Mr Barnard’s emporium, but I have found a better quality one, and also the two on the left, exterior and interior of the Chapel from two old postcards.

Later on, the enterprising Mr Barnard opened a second branch in Spittal Street, which later became Robinson’s Hardware and is now the Marlow Bookshop.

I may have forgotten “The Marlow Magazine” but I do just about remember (and this unfortunately dates me a bit) when the Chapel served as the Marlow Library, and with those two large plaques of the Ten Commandments ominously remaining above the bookshelves!

The 1874 date stone can still be seen above the modern front extension, but not the carved Primitive Methodist semi-circle.

At the time of Cyril’s article the baker’s shop would have been Hunt’s, but later became Lee’s.

Magnification of the Chapel Street postcard indicates that there were, back then, 1900, cottages across where Liston Road now enters, also there was no vehicular access to what we now know as Claremont Gardens.

One last interesting point, going back prior to 1874, is that the 1861 Marlow Directory lists the Primitive Methodist Chapel in Marefield Passage.

Contact Michael on michael@jazzfans.co or 01628 486571