Milk Delivery A7

[Mike Costigan]

Bob, our local farmer delivered his milk direct from the milking parlour this way in the early 1950s. Every few houses he would decant the milk from the churn into the pail, and each household would bring their own bottles or jugs to be filled with a ladle; the milk jug would be stored in the larder with a damp cloth over it. Eventually we got pasturised milk in bottles, by which time he had upgraded his transport to a brand-new A50 pickup and the Seven presumably went to the scrapyard.

[Tony Griffiths]

Bob, our local farmer delivered his milk direct from the milking parlour this way in the early 1950s. Every few houses he would decant the milk from the churn into the pail, and each household would bring their own bottles or jugs to be filled with a ladle; the milk jug would be stored in the larder with a damp cloth over it. Eventually we got pasturised milk in bottles, by which time he had upgraded his transport to a brand-new A50 pickup and the Seven presumably went to the scrapyard.

How wonderful!.....and to think, at one point a certain remote unaccountable foreign power had demanded that UK milk was delivered to houses in refrigerated vans. This was an attempt by big diaries, who had pressured said alien organisation to impose the rule and so finish off small suppliers. It was only when it was pointed out that as milk had been delivered unchilled for hundreds of years and nobody had died as result, was the plan defeated.

[Bob Culver]

Hi Mike and all
We are all showing our ages. I had not considered a local farmer supplying a small settlement directly. We had dairy factories large and small  everywhere  but direct to a rural community would avoid a lot of travel. Prior 1950 in a town of about 10,000 our milk arrived in a billy but I do not recall ever seeing the milkman. I think the billy was left on the porch with the money.
Into the 50s  a local farmer had a bedraggled early Seven with a tray used to carry the large milk cans from the milking shed to the roadside collection platform. I was intrigued that a truck tray could be almost all behind the axle, although modern 4 door utes like that.

[Andy Bennett]

I long for those school days when milk was delivered in small bottles, left outside in the sun for about 5 hours until it was given to us mid morning as a warm sludge half way between milk and gone of yoghurt. I guess the principle was to improve our mouth muscles whilst trying to suck it up a thin straw. Ah those were the days...

[Steve kay]

Uk, that’s just ruined my breakfast. I had completely forgotten, or erased, how utterly revolting school milk was at this time of year. I need therapy, I will leap into a Ruby and venture forth, but not to buy milk.

[Andy Bennett]

I guess if you needed to carry more milk you just added axles:


  milk float.jpg (Size: 117.95 KB / Downloads: 148)

[Lance Sheldrick]

In my village I distinctly remember the milk being delivered by horse drawn milk float. This was in the 1960's and lasted until about 1970, one of the last places in England, I believe. The milkman, Mr. Beasley, didn't ride on the float but walked alongside it taking the bottles off as required. The horse walked on and stopped at each house without any instruction.

[Reckless Rat]

Don't know whether it's an optical illusion but the chassis on that 6 wheeler looks bent, at the usual place.

[Dave Wortley]

Our milk has been delivered by our local farmer for the last 45 years, now taken over by his sons and daughters in law. Still milk from their own cows, now pasteurised at their dairy and moved into 21st century with a vending machine which speaks Yorkshire and greets you with “Eyup” and when you have finished your purchase it says “bye luv”.
When the weather is very snowy in winter he delivers with the tractor equipped with a carrier box. Never failed to deliver. Glass bottles of course.i

[Cliff Ringrose]

You didn't have to have lived in the country to have horse drawn milk floats. I was born and bred on a London Council estate and we had them until well into the '50s. When they changed to electric floats the milkmen were not at all amused. Ours was a very long road, and with a horse the milkman climbed off the float at one end of the road, and back on at the other!
My best memory of school milk was when we left a bottle of it in a desk at the back of the class on the last Friday before the summer holidays. I think it was early October before it was finaly located, by which time it was in a very interesting state!