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Books > Maidenhead Photographic Memories
Bray, Jesus Hospital 1890 (ref. 23624) | A little further south, is
Jesus Hospital, a fine
quadrangle of 28 single-
storey almshouses with
a taller entrance bay.
A stern notice in the
entrance archway states
that 'Vagrants, Hawkers and
Dogs Are Not Admitted'. It
was founded in 1627 by
William Goddard, a local
man made good as citizen
of London and member of
the Fishmongers Company.
He is commemorated with a
statue and his monument is
in the church.
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Bray, Landing Place 1890 (ref. 23621) | Here we are standing on the
slipway where Ferry Lane
disappears into the River
Thames. The straw-hatted
boy peers round the fence
of the George Hotel from its
riverside garden; another boy
fishes. The George is now
the renowned Waterside Inn
with a thoroughly developed
river terrace that includes an
oriental-style gazebo. In the
distance is part of the Fishery
Estate along Bray Reach,
started in the 1890s by a rich
widow named Annie Smith.
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Bray, Ferry Road 1929 (ref. 81695) | From the High Street, Ferry
Lane leads down to the river
and the former ferry point.
We are looking back up the
lane with the river behind
us. On the right is part of the
George Hotel, as it was then.
The view is little changed
apart from the outbuilding on
the right with the two dormer
windows which is now a
house, Tansy Cottage.
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Bray, Village 1911 (ref. 63821) | A former royal manor, Bray is
well known for the song 'The
Vicar of Bray', celebrating the
vicar who changed sides several
times during the Civil War and
after to keep his living. The
tranquillity of this delightful
village is traffic-blighted, like
many in the area. Here we look
along the High Street towards
the junction with Church Lane.
At the end is the Hind's Head
Hotel. The Ringers on the right
is now the Fat Duck Restaurant.
The timber-framed cottages have
long gone.
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Cookham, the River 1901 (ref. 47115) | The celebrated village of
Cookham, a mile or so
south of Bourne End, is
seen here from the boatyard
on the Buckinghamshire
bank, although curiously
until 1992 a strip of about
30 feet along this side
was within Berkshire. The
bridge dates from 1867. The
church's west tower is 15th-
century. This churchyard
was the setting for Sir
Stanley Spencer's famous
painting of the Resurrection,
and the artist is buried here.
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Cookham Dean, Winter Hill 1925 (ref. 77595) | Winter Hill is a noted beauty spot on the Berkshire side with views along the Thames. The hill rises about 180 feet
above the river and gives superb views of the valley below. Much of the best part is now owned by the National
Trust, who also own a fair amount of Cookham Dean's open space. Here we see a car toiling up the hill from the
Cookham direction. Nowadays the slopes are more overgrown.
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Dorney, The Reach 1951 (ref. D87007) | Our last view shows Dorney Reach with the Berkshire bank on the left. This tranquil stretch of towing path, now
part of the splendid Thames Path long distance footpath, has had its tranquillity rudely shattered. Now, in the
middle distance an elegant duck egg blue-painted steel bridge carries the ceaseless roar of the M4 motorway
across the River Thames, in effect the latest Maidenhead by-pass.
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Holyport, Main Road 1909 (ref. 61983) | Holyport, two miles south of Maidenhead was originally 'Horipod' or dirty market town. By the 18th century it
had civilised itself to 'Hollyport' and by the early 19th century had assumed an odour of sanctity with 'Holyport'.
The cottage Fiddlers Folly on the left is now largely rebuilt. All else survives except the shop-in-a-shed. This is the
frantically busy A330 and the wall on the right, to Holyport Lodge, has been moved back for road widening.
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Holyport, Sturt Green 1909 (ref. 61990) | Farther down the A330
is Stud Green, a hamlet
of Holyport. Its character
is now largely suburban,
following much rebuilding.
This view looks west. The
Bricklayers Arms is now a
house, Old Brick House,
its brickwork painted. The
farm building on the left in
yellow London stock brick
has been converted into a
house, Walnut Barn. The
farmhouse, (out of shot to
the left), Walnut Cottage,
and some frontage walling
also survives.
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Maidenhead, Bridge Street 1890 (ref. 23633) | We have moved further west to the junction with St Ives Road,
looking east. The Bear Hotel on the left has an early 19th-century
stucco front; further on are the Chapel Arches. The building on the
left with the urns along its parapet (which do not survive) is part of
High Street Colonnade, a 1930 development in Adam style built along
the north side of the Chapel Arches bridge. | Add your own Memory
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Maidenhead, High Street 1921 (ref. 70909) | Again cars dominate the 1921 scene, this being the main A4 London to Bath
road until the by-pass was built in the 1960s. The west-bound traffic, overtaking
a parked vehicle and cyclist, is rather hogging the middle of the road. The area in
front of the Bear Hotel has now been extended into the road to provide space for
outside tables.
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Maidenhead, High Street 1911 (ref. 63799) | A car is a blur compared with the cycle and horses it is overtaking.
The building on the far left, built in 1909 for the Maidenhead Gas Company, replaced the one in the 1890 view (see 23634, page 20). The view of the Bear and the adjacent buildings on the right is now hidden by High Street Colonnade. Built on the east side of the bridge in 1930, this was a Neo-Adam confection of shops with flats above.
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Maidenhead, High Street 1925 (ref. 70908) | West of the Queen Street
junction the London-Bath A4
was remarkably narrow, but
is now pedestrianised and
by-passed. This view looks
east. Many buildings survive,
apart from the 1890s mock-
Tudor Barclays Bank, which
was rebuilt in the 1980s. The
pediments to its left were
'modernised' in the 1960s with
a straight parapet, while on the
right there is now an entrance
to the Nicholson Centre, a
modern shopping precinct
on the site of Nicholson's
Pineapple Brewery.
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Maidenhead, King Street 1904 (ref. 52372) | This is a much-changed
scene along the road leading
to Maidenhead Station,
for virtually nothing now
survives of King Street's
earlier buildings. Broadway
still exists, but now much
wider and with a multi-storey
car park on the right, while
Tesco's and the Nicholson
Centre shopping mall take
up most of the rest on the
right. The Rose pub (1881)
in the distance and the
Methodist Church (1859) are
all that remain on the left.
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Maidenhead, King Street and Clock Tower 1911 (ref. 63801) | Back at ground level we see the
buildings that grew up around
the station in the 1880s and
1890s, including Horley and
Sons, corn and coal merchants,
Vevers and Sons, plumbers
and decorators, and Carter's,
who arranged funerals and
hired carriages. Behind the
Clock Tower is another coal
and coke merchant, Jeayes and
Kasner - such businesses always
flourish near railway stations.
The buildings in this view have
been replaced by smart and large
office blocks, along with a multi-
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Maidenhead, Clock Tower 1903 (ref. 50835) | This view is taken from the
railway bridge on Brunel's Great
Western Railway line from
Paddington to Bristol, opened in
1841. Maidenhead only secured
a station in 1871 and this spurred
the development of King Street.
The station approach became a
sort of square, finally embellished
by the Clock Tower. Apart from
the Clock Tower, virtually all
this has been rebuilt, including
Nicholson's Brewery, whose
chimney is seen in this view.
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Maidenhead, Queen Street 1911 (ref. 63804) | Further development southwards
was held up and the architectural
variety shows this. The terrace at
the left survives but on the right
all beyond the 1880s bank (now
Atkinson and Keene estate agents)
has been demolished, as far along
as the parapeted building. The tall,
hipped roof building had been the
popular Brock's Café. The pub in the
right foreground, on the Broadway
junction, was rebuilt in the 1950s
and is now Finnegan's Wake.
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Maidenhead, Castle Hill 1904 (ref. 52380) | This view is from
beside the Ice House,
its balcony covered in
creeper, looking back
down Castle Hill. All
on the left beyond the
monkey puzzle tree
(now gone) has been
demolished and the left-
hand railings have been
renewed. On the right,
the house dated 1882
still stands at the corner
of East Road, part of the
High Town developments
of the 1870s onwards.
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Maidenhead, Technical School and New Drill Hall 1903 (ref. 50837) | Along the Marlow Road at the west end of Kidwell's Park is the former Technical School, dated 1895. It was
designed in Domestic Revival style by local architect E J Shrewsbury, who also designed the Clock Tower, St Paul's
Church and many other local buildings. Beyond is the Drill Hall. Now demolished, its site is occupied by the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission headquarters of 1974. Stanley Spencer, from nearby Cookham, studied
art at the Technical Institute.
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Maidenhead, Free Library 1904 (ref. 53149) | Another view shows what a high quality design the subscribers got from their architects, Arthur McKewan and G
H V Cole, using a sort of Baroque-cum-Wren style. It cost £6,000. The cedar survived from the grounds of Ives
Place, a mansion and later an hotel, which stood where the present 1962 Town Hall is located.
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