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Welcome to The Marlow Society
The Marlow Society is a registered charity (no. 262803) whose efforts are devoted to the preservation and development of Marlow and the surrounding villages and countryside.
We seek to represent all those who enjoy living in, working in, shopping or just visiting our beautiful town situated on the banks of the River Thames, in the foothills of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
These pages are regularly updated, please select here to view the latest version.
60 yrs old last year
We were formed in 1958 as the Marlow Bridge Preservation Society whose purpose was to prevent the 1832 suspension bridge from being dismantled and replaced by a modern structure. The Marlow Bridge Preservation Society became The Marlow Society in 1960.
Don't lose it!
There is a Planning Application - 20/07411/FUL - to build across the current public access from Liston Rd to New Court / Liston Court.
The plan does not clearly show an alternative access.
This is an important, and pushchair and mobile scooter friendly, route from Liston Rd (incl Car Park) to the High St and to the south and east.
Your help is needed to maintain this public right of way. Please read how you can do that here ....
The April 2021 - Chairman's Report can be read here
There's lots to do .. if you can become actively involved in furthering the aims of the society, please contact us - tmssecretary@ marlowsociety.org.uk
An active group within the Marlow Society is the Local History Group. Researching, producing history articles, conducting guided walks and answering questions about the history of Marlow and the surrounding area are some examples of what they do.
Read more about the Local History Group.
If you have any questions about Marlow's history you can contact the group at:
tmslocalhistorygroup @marlowsociety.org.uk
Marlow Remembers WW1
The Marlow Remembers World War 1 website has moved here ( was at www.marlowww1.org.uk ). All displays, information etc. are now in the Marlow History section of this website.
visit Marlow Remembers WW1 - www.marlowsociety.org.uk/ MRWW1
The British Association for Local History - www.balh.org.uk - has selected the Marlow Remembers WW1 Association as the winner of the 2019 Research and Publication Award for the article and display: From Beer to Bombs. These publications can be viewed in this section.
WDC Regeneration Strategy for High Wycombe, Princes Risborough and Marlow
Wycombe District Council commissioned this strategy so that it could, in part or whole, be combined with those of the other districts and the county council, to create a Buckinghamshire-wide regeneration strategy to be adopted once the new unitary authority comes into being in April 2020. .. extract from Forward
The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is a European Union legal instrument ensuring the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data.
The GDPR policy of the Marlow Society can be found here.
Please help us stay in contact by emailing tmschair@marlowsociety.org.uk with the message 'GDPR. I/We agree to the Marlow Society holding my/our personal details.', followed by your name(s).
Events:
Abbreviations: LHG = Local History Group,
AIM = Archaeology in Marlow, MAS = Marlow Archaeology.
AGM 2021
The Marlow Society's 60th Annual General Meeting will be held by digital conference on Thursday 27th May at 7:30pm. Please register to attend before Sunday 23rd May
A quorum is necessary for AGM to transact the business of the charity. The attendance of Society members is requested.
Information and the Trustees Report can be found here...
Local History Group Talks in 2021
This year talks will be a series of virtual meetings via Zoom, please see the Events page near the time for more details
18th May - The Thames from Oxford to Windsor - Peter Halman of the Berkshire Society will explore how the river has shaped the history of this reach through the centuries.
18th June - The Upper Thames Patrol: the River Home Guard - Bill King will examine the role of this little known arm of the volunteer forces protecting the area during WW2.
13th July - World War 2 at Hughenden Manor - Fritha Irwin, curator of the WW2 exhibition at Hughenden, will speak about the importance of the work carried out on the site in that era.
28th September - Great Marlow 1831 - 1891: The River and the Railways - Adam Baxter will talk about the impact the railways had on the river and it's uses.
Some Events coming up soon are listed below
Current and Future Events:
Thu 22-Apr-21
8.00pm
Zoom online
Tutankhamun - The Boy King and his treasures
Speaker/Contact (category)
info on www.marlowarchaeology.org
Tue 18-May-21
7.30pm
Zoom online
The Thames from Oxford to Windsor
Speaker/Contact (category)
Peter Halman, Berkshire Society (LHG)
Sun 27-Jun-21
2.00pm (provn)
details tbc
Town Walk
Speaker/Contact (category)
tmswalks@ marlowsociety.org.uk
Tue 8-Jun-21
7.30pm
Zoom online
The Upper Thames Patrol: The River Home Guard
Speaker/Contact (category)
Bill King (LHG)
Marlow Bridge
The protection and maintenance of Marlow's beautiful bridge is an ongoing challenge - preventing overweight vehicles, while keeping the bridge an open and practical route for local traffic.
visit page ... This page notes some of the thoughts on how to achieve this and some of the specific events and issues that help illustrate the situation.
The Marlow library is a very valuable asset - there is information via this link to the Bucks CC, Library website.
This bench in front of the library was donated by the Marlow Society, to mark the society' 60th anniversary. visit page ...
Parking Meters in Marlow: There has been an intention to put parking meters on town centre parking bays that are currently free to park on for a short stay.
more information and background
The Global Business Park management organisation ran a public consultation on suggested improvements to the A404/Marlow roundabout (Westhorpe Interchange). The consultation ran to 1st Feb 2019.
More information on their website globebusinesspark.co.uk
Brewing in Marlow (video) - a talk by Janet Smith at the Buckinghamshire Local History Network conference 24-Oct-20.
Of Locks and Weirs - a Marlow History article by Janet Smith - added July 2020
Locks and weirs are an integral part of the management of the Thames. Our weir, in particular, is often seen as a recreational asset, where canoeists can enjoy practicing their white-water skills. It is, in fact, a piece of industrial archaeology with a very long history.
Please also see the Some Forthcoming Events table higher up this page
In Memory:
follow this link to dedications to departed friends
News Headlines:
Some of these items go back a few years, but continue to be listed here as illustrations of the Marlow Society's policy and involvement.
The Obelisk
The restoration work on the Obelisk was completed September 2018.
During the restoration, some elements that worsened the decay were discovered: when the gravel around the plinth had been removed, this showed that water seeping through the gravel had been retained and thus created a pool from which water 'wicked' up the plinth encouraging the spalling we have seen.
Further work revealed that the drain below the plinth was blocked. It also revealed the well from which the public water pump in Market Square was supplied. The drain is being rebuilt. ...
A Positive Impact
(22 Aug 16 but still valid) Soon after the Marlow Bookshop opened in Spittal Street I visited to say, on behalf of the Society, how much I appreciated the new shop's façade and, in particular, the high quality signwriting on the shop sign.
visit page
Nesta Liston's gift to Marlow
The picture of Nesta Liston, which had been in New Court House since its gift to the town and until its sale to the private sector, is now installed in Liston Hall.
... read more
Select image to visit page.
These are two examples, in recent years, of co-operation between the Society and the major property owner in Marlow. We will seek other similar opportunities whilst strictly maintaining our independence.
Some Past Events:
Follow this link for information on Past Events ...
