Pete's Favourite Things

Marlow is an attractive Buckinghamshire town on the banks of the River Thames. It is situated half way between London and Oxford.

History

Marlow is recorded in the Domesday Book as Merlaue.[4]

“The manor of Marlow, which had belonged to the Earls of Mercia, was given by William the Conqueror, to his Queen Matilda. Henry the First, bestowed it on his natural son, Robert de Melhent, afterwards Earl of Gloucester, from whom it passed, with that title, to the Clares and Despencers, and from the latter, by female heirs, to the Beauchamps and Nevilles, Earls of Warwick. It continued in the crown from the time of Richard III’s marriage with Anne Neville, until Queen Mary granted it to William Lord Paget, in whose family it continued more than a century; after which, it passed, by purchase, to Sir Humphrey Winch, in 1670; to Lord Falkland in 1686; to Sir James Etheridge in 1690; to Sir John Guise in 1718; and to Sir William Clayton in 1736. It is now the property of Sir William Clayton bart. a descendant of the last purchaser”.

Marlow owed its importance to its location on the River Thames, where the road from Reading to High Wycombe crosses the river. It had its own market by 1227 (hence the name Chipping Marlow), although the market lapsed before 1600. From 1301 to 1307 the town had its own Member of Parliament, and it returned two members from 1624 to 1867.

(From Wikipaeia)

Photo by Sue

Marlow gained its importance as one of the crossing points on the Thames and the current bridge was designed by William Tierney Clark.

Marlow Bridge

Marlow was also the site of the Royal Military College before it relocated to Sandhurst in 1812.

Marlow and the surrounding area is also famous for it’s river based sports such as rowing and sailing and for the wide selection of good quality dining venues including The Hand & Flowers, the first gastro-pub to hold two Michelin stars.