25 July, 2010

Marlow, Maidenhead and Slough

Marlow features in Three Men in a Boat with it's bridge. Unfortunately the bridge is not too accessible for photography so I can only note that the chained swan of Buckinghamshire appears on the medalions underneath. Built by the man who linked Pest and Buda in Hungary, it is a beautiful suspension bridge.
The church by the bridge is a 19th century replacement, and was covered in scaffolding so again no possibility of a photograph. However it is quite pleasant inside, very light, and with a portrait of a child with piebaldism, who was buried in the churchyard. The Town Hall has been converted to a kitchenware shop but was previously a pub.

Shelley once taught at the grammar school here, that still exists in its original building and a stone plaque was placed on his house. Mary also lived there and wrote Frankenstein.

A house called 'Remnantz' (funny spelling is not a 20th century trait) was originally part of the Royal Military Academy, before this moved to Sandhurst. Almost all the houses in Marlow, including Remnants and the Old Parsonage with its meadieval window are surrounded by high walls and impenetrable hedges that make photography difficult. The station is rather bleak with its single track line that runs to Maidenhead.
Maidenhead is rather chavvy with very little beauty to the casual observer. The church of St Mary is a civic church, and a lady kindly allowed me to look around even though she was rushing off. Built in the 1960s I would guess there is some fine modern stained glass, and the whole thing was very well done.

Slough has even less going for it than Maidenhead. Betjeman was right. This stuffed dog is on the station as a revard for his services collecting for Raailway orphans and widows.

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