Recommended Posts

My Mum always said that you didn't have to be in a hurry to get your milk if you had Franks milk !

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 84
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

I remember as a kid watching the milk floats coming out of the Coop Dairy at the bottom of Westdale Lane. They were eagerly awaited by the local residents within fifty yards of the Dairy, all waiting

Every Sunday morning my grandma did bacon sandwiches (with the bread dipped in a frying pan of tinned tomatoes) and a pot of tea for the 2 Co-op milkmen who did the deliveries round our way. As a kid

I did 5 years nearly for Co-op. I started in 1974 at Beechdale Dairy. I did two rounds at Sherwood to start with and another one around Alfreton Road through to the Arboretum and beyond. The latter w

The milkman I remember in Netherfield always used to shout "milk me dear," as he left a couple of bottles of "stez" on the windowsill. I wonder if this was Charlie. He once told us he had eleven kids. His own football team as he called it.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I remember as a kid watching the milk floats coming out of the Coop Dairy at the bottom of Westdale Lane. They were eagerly awaited by the local residents within fifty yards of the Dairy, all waiting behind their garden gates to pick up the manure as the horses past. They always seemed to do it just as they left the dairy, maybe because of the strain of starting the days work. One of the 'drivers', a guy with the surname Earl who lived locally on Albert St., Next road to you Carni, when ever he had finished his round in Burton Joyce, climbed on the roof of his float and drove it like it was a Stage Coach back to the Dairy. Must have been a cowboys & Indians fan. On one occasion he turned into Shearing Hill too fast and smashed all his empties over Burton Road. His last journey before being sacked resulted in turning the float over turning back into Westdale Lane again leaving lots of glass over Gedling Rd. Apparently the horse went back into the dairy pulling two wheels.

I am also reminded of the bottle wash every noon. The sewer from the dairy ran directly to the Cricket Field Dike. In the Cricket Field Area are two Bridges crossing the dike, One near the Royal Oak (Later The Inn for a Penny), the other crossing Conway Road as it was then. Between the two bridges, that section of water always turned from clear to white at bottle wash time.

I am also reminded of the time that the sewer covers outside the dairy on Westdale Lane gusted out Milk due to a blockage. On the Corner of Chestnut Grove, opposite the Dairy lived the local Rag & Bone man, a Mr Staley, who carried out his trade with a pony & cart. The Pony died one night and I'm sure you can imagine what they found blocking the sewer next day.

When the Dairy Horses were retired, do you remember the small milk floats that took their place, driven by battery and pulled by the milkman. A Tee Bar handle pulled to propel it forward & steer it, if it caught up with the milkman the Tee Bar went backwards & applied the brakes, quite a clever device for its day.

  • Upvote 5
Link to post
Share on other sites

You certainly brought back some memories for me, i too remember the dairy and watching the bottles going past the windows in side, i imagine they were on some sort of conveyor belt.We spent many happy hours paddling in the dykes, I never knew why the water in the dyke was white some times, until now! And yes i recall the surname Earl, he probably came to our house sometimes, Dad knew everybody. I also remember very well the name Mr Staley, but have forgotten that he was the Rag and Bone man. Did the family have quite a few children? or is my memory playing tricks again!

Link to post
Share on other sites

dave im sure it was charlie know he had a big family two girls that iknow went to carltom

girls school linda and christine lived top end cavendish rd he finished work when he knocked down and killed a child who ran out in front of his milk float on lnw terrace mid sixties left him with mental health problems carnt remember childs name but at the inquest they said there was nothing he could do but he always blamed himself i think the milk floats only did about 20 mph in them days.

Link to post
Share on other sites

When we lived in Netherfield we were right at the bottom of Dunstan Street and the dyke ran across the bottom of our garden but I don't remember the water turning white, mind you I was only 8 when we moved from there. We were just a hop, skip and a jump from Burton Road playing fields and would jump over the dyke and go and play up there a lot.

Link to post
Share on other sites

One of my uncles was a milkman in Clifton (and maybe Medders at some stage). He also tragically killed a child who had crawled under his float without him knowing. He gave the job up straight away, just couldn't deal with the tragedy.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I probably saw you Lizzie, we were down the dykes and Cricket field most days from about 1956. Mainly with Mam and a group of neighbours kids. We only played in the dykes when we went on our own, with an older sister of course.

I'm very sorry to hear the sad story about Your uncle and the little child.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I remember talking to an old Arnold chap Mr James I think he said he worked for Gadsby's. At Redhill he would deliver the milk into Arnold with Dray horse and cart

Link to post
Share on other sites

Does anyone know if we still have any 'traditional' milk men about? Without having to place an order online every night?

We have one that delevers in the Loughborough area in fact he delevers on our street.

But with two "corner shops" close by selling milk at £1.39 fror two litres he does not sell much on the street.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I live right near the co op in netherfield, so could simply walk around. Theres been a few occasions Iv been caught out and not had any 'blue milk' and my daughters wanted her morning bottle. So it'd be handy to have it on the doorstep ready, and iv always been told the stuff in a glass bottle is a lot fresher than what we buy from shops. Not sure how true that it though..

Been on the milk and more website, they're about 20p more expensive than the shops.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Carni, Do you remember your LOCAL Milkman, Mr. Leach, next to the school, & Beryl his delivery girl, she was a brilliant footballer.

While we are doing do you remember, how about Roy Skellington the barber & Sunday School Teacher, he in still working delivering the church mag at 91years, slowed up a bit now though.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Does anyone know if we still have any 'traditional' milk men about? Without having to place an order online every night?

Quite a few down here in West Wales. Mine calls Mon/Weds/Friday, proper bottled milk too though he does do cartons. Also has free range eggs which are cheaper than the supermarkets.

This being a big dairy farming area (probably as many cows as sheep) there are a few small independent dairies in the area.

When I lived at Thurgarton our milk was supplied by Palings of Lowdham, who bought it from Wheldons on the top of Carlton Hill. IIRC Wheldons also ran a garage and filling station, the dairy yard was round the back.Palings had Bedford CA floats with sliding doors, later replaced by electric trucks in the early 1970's.

AfferGorrit's gran wasn't the only one to look after her milkman (oo-er, missus!) as Jack Paling was a lifelong friend of my mum's, in fact he introduced my mum and dad to each other, and would always stop for a cup of tea with her, as would all his successors after Jack retired. If anyone in the village had forgotten to order extra milk they would frequently ring me mum and leave a message for him to either call back or leave the extra pint there and they'd collect it later.

Link to post
Share on other sites

have been thinking about charlie and thinnk his sir name was jennings or jenkins lived top end cavendish rd

Link to post
Share on other sites

When I was a kid I helped Charlie the milkman, he used to give me a tanner and a bottle of gold top (Channel Island milk ) or a bottle of Orange Juice ,we delivered to most of Netherfield and Colwick then i'd leave him at Lawrence's Factory and walk back to Netherfield over the mountain that was the Railway bridge between Colwick and Netherfield or that's how it seemed at the time for little legs .

We often passed Frank Hickman or as he was know to many as "The Midnight Milkman" ,he seemed to be always delivering milk so nether he or you knew which days milk you were getting ,he lived on Burton Rd opposite the "Volo " pub my uncle now lives in his house .

I can also remember sitting guarding the milk float outside your house Babs while Charlie went in to chat to your dad and have a cuppa .

My Mother got her milk from Bamfords on Victoria Rd ,It was between Linda's Babyland and Barnes the Butchers ,the shop was run by some brothers and sisters none of which were married as far as I know .

Link to post
Share on other sites

yeh bob can you remember bamfords home made icecream always had nits of ice in it but tasted great. and there penny suckers on the way home from school on hot days orange or black currant . i know i must know you bob got a feeling you lived on arthurs st am i getting warm.and im sure you must know me too.

Link to post
Share on other sites

We had our milk deliveries done by Weldons dairy, for many years, they were at the top of Carlton hill.

I used to do a bit of training with a bloke cllaed Dave Newham, he was the last mechanic to work for them before they closed shop, his garage was on Mayfield road I think. Super fit bloke, he also did a bit of boxing too.

I think he set up shop again as a one man enterprise further down Carlton road somewhere opposite Doug Fearns original place.

All the milk carts were electric from memory, and they still seemed to get out there even in the worst snow conditions.

Link to post
Share on other sites

When we lived in Langar our milkman was from Long Clawson Dairy. Once a week they'd bring cheese that you had pre-ordered. Boy was that good cheese! When we moved to Radcliffe we asked them if they delivered to our new street, they said although they had no other customers on that street, they'd still come to us. Bless them.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 10 months later...

I always laugh about this. During the coupla short years I did milk rounds, I delivered milk on the road we were living on (including our milk). During that time my youngest son was both conceived and born. We can always say his dad was the milkman.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...