Let's start from the very beginning
William Marston born in 1865 was a zinc and tin plate worker by trade.
At 14 William was apprenticed to his father Thomas, a plate metal worker who made the breast plates for the household cavalry in Winstanley Road Battersea.
Image: William J Marston with his dog Prince
William went on to work for a building contractor ‘Roffeys’ of Putney until his mother died in 1895 prompting the start of his own business initially from his home in Hugon Road.
His wife’s family ran a laundry business in nearby Dymock Street and Hugon Road
Image: Picture WJM at Roffeys Putney in around 1890 (sitting second from left)
The office moved from Hugon Road to 87 Wandsworth Bridge Road in around 1910. A true family run company as William’s 15 year old daughter Lillie helped with the invoice ledgers.
William would organise repairs to properties around Fulham taking instructions via postcards as there were several postal deliveries a day. The ledgers show that as well as work to the ‘Peterborough Estate’ houses close by Marstons carried out work to various types of buildings around the Borough from Loud and Western Laundry ,Fulham Guardians (for the workhouse or infirmary) the Welsh Presbyterian Chapel, W H Cullen ( grocers ), Bluebell Polish Co ,and Trinidad Asphalt
During the Great War the Marston family along with the Congregational Church in Dawes Road helped many Belgian refugees.
After a good education at Latimer Upper School in Hammersmith John W Marston joined The London Joint City and Midland Bank in 1916. He was conscripted in 1918 serving in the army of occupation. JW returned to the bank in 1919 reluctantly joining in his father’s business 2 years later
Image: Postcard instruction 1908
John started to make his mark on the family business and by the 1930’s Marstons started to carry out their own developments as well as taking on larger contracts
Image Left: John and Elsie in 1923, they married in 1926. Image Right: John W Marston in 1919
