Nostalgic memories of Marlborough's local history
Share your own memories of Marlborough and read what others have said
For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.
Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.
Add a Memory!
It's easy to add your own memories and reconnect with your shared local history. Search for your favourite places and look for the 'Add Your Memory' buttons to begin
Displaying Memories 1 - 10 of 11 in total
I was travelling from Hounslow to Bristol on a Blue/Cream coach. No M4 to Bristol then only as far as Reading. We stopped at Maidenhead coach station. Next I remember Marlborough. I alighted and looking around saw the Polly Tearooms. Oh how welcome. I often go back and fondly recall those wonderful days of my youth. John Betjeman featured the Polly Tea Rooms in one of his films. They are timeless in this changing world!
The chimney and roof of the lodge that can just be seen in this photo is my current house. Fascinating to see how much the surroundings have grown over with scrub and trees in the last 50-odd years.
I was the youngest boy (8 years old) at the City of London School sharing Marlborough College as evacuees from London during the Second World War. I, together with a few other youngsters, had a 'camp' in Treacle Bolly. One high on the hill on the left-hand side in a tree root and one further in down by the river. At that age, and during a war, I can't say that they were the happiest days of my ...see more
My husband and I were both born in Marlborough. My husband is Peter Long and I believe he went to Grammar School with Julian West whose family owned the tea rooms. We both remember the fire as it was the year we were married; and that afterwards the Mop Fairs held in October had to re-position itself to accommodate fire engine access should another fire happen. I worked in Rawlings and Phillips corn merchants on ...see more
My uncle Joe Wolff was an American Soldier during WWII and spent the summer of 1942 stationed in various places in Wiltshire including Tottenham House. Although he was a private he was very well educated with a degree in History and English. He was invited to visit the college during his stay and wrote fairly extensively about it. I will enclose some of his observations from ...see more
My name is Leslie Gale. My mum and dad moved into the house along Treacle Bolly in March the 7th 1947 and a week later we were flooded out. Does anybody else remember this flood as several bridges were washed away? We moved out of this house in 1950.
A photo very similar to this hangs in my bedroom, I am a West and spent many a happy summers here. My family used to own the tearooms, my mother and her brother were caught in the fire in 1966 which resulted in the top two floors being burnt down. Me, my brother and sister visited only once a year as we live in County Durham up north, but this building means a huge amount to my mum and this picture of ...see more
I have a photograph of a group of children at the Marlborough Mop Fair from the convalescant home, which used to be a home for old homeless gentlemen, then became a hospital for children recovering from various illnesses. I worked nights, and sometimes got very scared when an old man would come rattling on the door, demanding to get in. Jean Rixon to the left, Norah Wyatt in the center and myself on the ...see more
Sent out of London during the Blitz with my mother, grandmother and sister, a visit to the Polly Tea Rooms was for special occasions only. We loved it when the parents of the boys from Marlborough School came to visit and brought their sons to Polly's for tea (even though we were only 5 or 6!). Happily, the tea rooms are still there, whilst the Merlin on the other side and at the other end of the High Street has disappeared.
Evacuated with my sister and mother, one of our favourite walks was to Treacle Bolley where we collected rose hips which were then sent away to be made into a source of vitamin C and distributed to those who needed it. On a visit to Marlborough (from London) a few years ago, I was unable to find Treacle Bolley nor anyone who had ever heard of it. Is there anyone out there who knows this lovely spot? (April 2008)