Tower and Town, October 2026 (view the full edition)Hockey HangoutThe premises at 47-48 High Street, Marlborough have been linked with members of Marlborough Hockey Club for almost 125 years - a remarkable thread of sporting and family history woven through one shopfront. The building was originally home to Vincent Head, Gentlemen’s Outfitters. With a Vincent Head appearing in almost every generation, it is difficult to pin down exactly which Vincent was which, but Vincent Head Senior and Vincent Head Junior were present at the club’s formation in 1900. Vincent Junior became the first Secretary and Treasurer, and together with his brother William Head, a talented footballer, they played regularly well into the early 1910s. Later generations of the family turned more towards cricket than hockey, but the connection between the Heads and Marlborough sport remained strong. The fifth generation Vincent Head closed the business in 2003, and in 2010 The Food Gallery, owned and run by Bob and Nikki Holman, moved into the premises. Their arrival marked the beginning of another chapter of hockey history. Bob joined Marlborough Hockey Club in the 1970s. In the 1990s he was joined by his children - Rich, Andy and Kat - and in due course Rich and Kat became part of the family business. Bob is well known in the town for his pavement sign puns, but perhaps less well recognised for his sporting ability. He remains a gifted tennis player, having reached Junior Wimbledon, and a strong golfer, currently playing off a handicap of five at the age of seventy. In his youth he was a talented cricket and hockey player, narrowly missing out on selection for the 1988 GB squad for Seoul at the final training session at Crystal Palace Sports Centre. Today he is best known for his atmospheric photographs of Marlborough; photography, and the teaching of it, is his passion, and he has often combined it with sport, capturing many memorable images of the hockey club. The Holman sporting tradition continues. Rich has become a lifelong supporter of the club and still plays in the Men’s 1s, which he joined in his early teens. He has served as chair, captain, coach and umpire. His sons Eddie and George now play junior hockey, with George, aged eight, starring in the club’s U10 team. Kat played county hockey, and Andy remains involved in sport, albeit football, at Devizes. Under the Holmans, The Food Gallery became early adopters of local suppliers. Prime among these were Berkeley Farm Dairy (run by the Gosling hockey dynasty) and Lacock Dairies (the Doel hockey dynasty). The café grew to be more than a place to eat: it supported parents and players with refreshments in all weathers at the College pitches and provided employment to countless young hockey players - though not without staffing challenges when Saturday morning matches coincided with shifts. In many ways it became an extension of Marlborough Hockey Club itself: warm, busy and full of familiar faces. In October 2025 the Holmans left The Food Gallery after 21 years of trading on Marlborough High Street. The business remains in good hands with new owner Ben Massey. Rich has since joined another hockey playing family dynasty at The Ridgeway Barns Wedding and Event Centre, owned by the Ford family - Dennis, Alex and Becky - and works alongside club stalwart Louisa Gosling, who has been part of the business since its inception. Their story may well merit a future edition of Tower & Town. In its 126th year, the club’s long relationship with 47-48 High Street reminds us that Marlborough’s sporting life is shaped as much by its people and places as by its matches. Bob Holman |