Skindles* started as a coaching Inn in the 1740s. It stood on the banks of the Thames in Maidenhead, steadily gaining a rather racy reputation. Its heyday was in the 1970s & 80s with its nightclub “La Valbonne”.

Sir Winston Churchill had stayed there, star bands had played the nightclub. Worth preserving, one might think…

Nope…

Empty & derelict for years, demolition started in October 2015. Foxwood stepped in & asked what was to happen to the historic beams and floorboards: “Going to landfill” came the reply. 

We thought that was pretty silly so we bought and reclaimed as much timber as was salvageable.

*Skindles B&W photo © The Francis Frith Collection.