Maidenhead Symbol
Maidenhead is a very pleasant town in Berkshire, a few miles from Slough, but socially a world away. It is a symbol in the poem for the fake gentility worn by the government officers who wreak havoc on Slough, but don't live there. Maidenhead is a symbol in the poem for everything that is not as it appears, that has a veneer of propriety whilst acting as a facade for the sleaze and appalling behavior by men who act like upper class gentlemen.
Slough Symbol
Slough is a symbol for all that is ugly and unattractive in the urban environment. There is no grass, no green, no color other than gray. It is dirty and has no character. Slough is the poster child for all urban sprawls that have no identity of their own save their own ugliness,
Bogus Tudor Symbol
Bogus Tudor - or "mock Tudor" as it is more kindly known in realtors' offices - is a symbol of the middle classes who have a very set idea of the things that make them socially higher up than the next person. This is symbolized by the way in which homes and pubs have faux beams added to the outside of their modern homes to give the appearance of age and antiquity.
Bombs Symbol
To the poet, the bombs are a symbol of the only hope that Slough has of ever regaining its former glory and getting rid of the ugly and gray landscape that has replaced the pre-urban environment. They are actually a symbol of the future for Slough.
Hatred for the Establishment Motif
One of the key motifs in the poem is the poet's obvious hatred for the establishment and the establishment's effect and damage on the "lower classes". He is particularly scathing about the over-fed and over-indulged men in suits who don't live in Slough but wreak havoc there. They are oblivious to the needs of the soldiers they are deploying and equally ambivalent about the clerks who carry out their orders, all the while taking advantage of their position to advance themselves. This motif relates to the theme of anti-establishmentism that Betjemen is well known for.
