Newspaper article transcripts
Penrith Observer, 1 April 1930
NORTH WESTMORLAND MILK.
NEW OUTLET TO LONDON.
A Boon to Local Producers.To-day there begins at Appleby a scheme of milk collection and despatch which will have far-reaching affects in North Westmorland in regard to the production and sale of milk, and when the scheme develops, in the course of the summer, it is hoped that there will be an outlet for all that can be produced.
A milk receiving and cooling depot is shortly to be built on a site at Appleby, bought by the Express Dairy Co., London. from the L.M.S. Railway Co., and adjoining the main L.M.S. line, on the Bongate to Murton road. The field selected as a site is over an acre in extent, and is between the line and the track laid down many years ago for the connection of the Midland with the North Eastern. It is served by three roads, and there are ample water and drainage services.
The depot's receiving capacity will be several thousand gallons of milk a day, and it will probably be finished by early summer, but, beginning today, the Express Dairy Co. will take about a thousand gallons of milk a day from farmers in North Westmorland and despatch it by train from Appleby. The undertaking will be greatly welcomed by the dairy farmers within the area of collection. Hitherto a large proportion of the milk produced and not required for local consumption was sent to the Newcastle area, and other districts on the northeast coast, but for some time things have not been in a satisfactory state as between producers and distributors, and frequent conferences have not led to the complete satisfaction of both sides. Added to these differences was the fact that North Westmorland had to meet the competition of Northumberland farmers, who, finding the feeding of cattle for beef to be comparatively unprofitable, turned their attention to the dairying side of agriculture. Thus there was brought about a state of affairs prejudicial to the North Westmorland farmer, and the entrance of the London company into the field of purchases will relieve what had come to be looked upon as a somewhat critical position locally. It was known some months ago that a lady representative of the company was making negotiations in the district. Along with Mr. John Crosby, Kirkby Thore, she called at the "Observer Office, and gave much information as to what was developing, but at that period in the negotiations a request was made that the information should not be published.
The depot is to be equipped with the most up-to-date plant, connected with the main railway line by a siding. The cooled milk will be sent in bulk, in tanks lined with aluminium, to the company's premises at Cricklewood, London, near the main line goods station. The vans will be run right into the company's premises, and the milk sent from Appleby in the late afternoon, will be delivered in bottles to the London consumers for breakfast the morning after milking.
Although farmers' contracts are usually for twelve months, expiring on September 30th, many farmers this year have only entered into six-month contracts, expiring on March 31st (yesterday); so that the company have been able to arrange to take a thousand gallons daily direct from the farms, beginning to-day. On Friday 300 railway churns were delivered at Appleby, and Mr. D. Macrae, who has a contract for the collection of the milk, distributed them to the farmers, ready to be filled for the first collection to-day.
At last night's meeting of Appleby Town Council an agreement was sealed for the supply of water by the Corporation to the Express Dairy Company at 4d. per 1,000 gallons for the first 3,500,000 gallons, and 9d. per 1,000 afterwards. It had been expected that plans of the new depot would have been submitted for consideration, but a telephone message was received that they were not quite ready.
Penrith Observer, 2 September 1930
APPLEBY DAIRY PLANS PASSED.
At a special meeting of the members of Appleby Town Council on Wednesday evening, the minutes of the Health and Highways Committee, who had passed the plans for the cooling station, etc., of the Express Dairy Company, were confirmed.
Penrith Observer, 25 November 1930
TO BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS.
PARTIES desiring to TENDER for ROAD MAKING, DRAINAGE, and WATER SUPPLY for the EXPRESS DAIRY COMPANY'S COOLING STATION at APPLEBY should send their applications to the undersigned, when Bills of Quantities will be forwarded. Tenders to be delivered to me, endorsed "Cooling Station, Appleby," on or before SATURDAY, November 29th.
The lowest or any Tender will not necessarily be accepted.
R. MORTON RIGG, L.R.I.B.A.,
Chartered Architect,
Corney Square, Penrith.
Penrith Observer, 10 February 1931
A NEW INDUSTRY AT APPLEBY.
The Express Dairy Co., London, who are building a new factory at Appleby for the collection of milk from farms in the district and its despatch to the Company's bottling centre at Cricklewood, near London, are proceeding rapidly with the erection of the premises. Messrs. Dorman, Long and Co., Middlesbrough, have already got into position a considerable proportion of the steel work. The L.M. & S. Railway Company have almost completed their portion of the work - the laying of a loop-line and a siding - and practically all the details of the whole scheme are completed on paper. The plant is being sent up from London wholly in duplicate, so that if anything goes wrong, no time need be lost in repairs, as a section of the London public depends entirely on the milk from Appleby district. The machinery throughout is new. Already the plant is handling 3,000 gallons of milk daily from farms in the area, all of which is sent in a single 3,000 gallon tank to London. The tank is one of a set, specially constructed, lined with glass, to enable them to travel on the fastest trains.
The factory has already given a wide market to the farmers in the Appleby district, but the Company can do with a considerable amount more milk, and it is believed that the new organisation is going to be of great benefit to the dairying agriculturists of Appleby and environs.
Penrith Observer, 31 October 1933
Every British Egg
Displaces a Foreign Egg.Appleby Egg Grading Station.
THE EXPRESS DAIRY COMPANY, LIMITED, LONDON, having completed the building of one of the largest and best equipped Egg Grading Stations in the country, are now prepared to receive
FRESH, CLEAN EGGS.The Eggs that are produced and graded at Appleby go right to the consumer in London.
PROMPT ATTENTION. CASH WEEKLY PAYMENTS.
OUR PRICE LAST WEEK, 1/3 per lb.
Collection Vans cover a radius of 30 miles.
For full Particulars apply,
MANAGER, EXPRESS DAIRY Co., APPLEBY
Penrith Observer, 11 September 1934
ALL MILK REQUIRES A LICENCE.
Board's New Regulations.
Not a drop of milk may be sold without a producer-retailer's licence after October 1st.
This is the effect of the latest Milk Board decision, which revokes a previous resolution by which up to a gallon a day was excluded from the sale. The Board now definitely declares that all registered producers who sell milk by retail must be licensed.
Details of the scheme concerning the sale and use of milk produced by farmhouse cheesemakers from October 1st to September 30th, 1935, were issued this week.
Every farmhouse cheesemaker will have the option of
Making into cheese the whole of his production for the year;
Selling the milk through the Board until March and then making cheese for the rest of the year; or
Selling milk from November 1st, 1834, until March 31. st, 1935, through the Board, and making cheese for the rest of the year.
The cheese-milk prices for April to August are certified as: April 3.42d., May 3.40d., June 3.48 d., July 3.75d., August 3.83d.
In future the producer must have at least eight milch cows to qualify.
Penrith Observer, 30 April 1935
EGG TRAIN FROM APPLEBY.
Half-million Eggs Sent to London in One Day.
A special train with half a million eggs left the Express Dairy Company's egg grading station at Appleby, the other day, for London. These 500,000 eggs formed the largest dispatch ever made from Appleby; twelve trucks were loaded and sent direct from Appleby to Cricklewood, where the Express Dairy Company have special sidings adjacent to their depots. The eggs were all collected in Westmorland, Cumberland, and the North Yorkshire dales; and their sorting and packing necessitated a great amount of hard work.
Penrith Observer, 12 April 1949
MILK PRODUCTION IN APPLEBY DISTRICT
STORY OF ACHIEVEMENT TOLD AT MAYOR'S DINNER
The story of the growth of the milk-producing industry in the borough was one of the main features of the dinner given in the Tufton Arms Hotel on Friday night to the retiring Mayor of Appleby, Councillor H. C. Knight.
To tell the story, Mr W. A. Nell, chairman of the Express Dairy Co., Ltd., had to make a 24-hour dash from London and back.
Councillor Knight, Appleby Grammar School master, heard glowing tributes of his work from all the speakers.
In proposing his health, the chairman, Councillor L. S. Chapman, the Mayor-Designate, said that it was given to few to equal him in versatility. From a children's party he could, and did, go the Council chamber, and, at times, quell even the most incorrigible member of the Council. Councillor Chapman included in his toast Councillor Knight's wife, whose service they had deeply appreciated.
DANGER BEATEN OFF
In reply, Councillor Knight drew attention to one great danger that had arisen to the borough during his term of office. This, the Boundary Commission, he likened to the ravages of the Scots who swept down on Appleby about 500 years ago. He was, however, pleased to say that, as in the past, Appleby had withstood this danger and had every chance of existing in its present state for many years to come.
He concluded with hearty thanks to the Council officials and the Town Clerk for the help and support they had given him over the past eighteen months.
Mr W. A. Nell, in proposing the prosperity of the "town and trade of Appleby and its agricultural interests," said that nineteen years ago, when there was an acute shortage of milk in the London area, he had come North to Appleby to prospect. In those times, before the days of price control, the farmers were having a bad time. His arrival in Appleby was looked upon with amazement, and he was told by many that the farmers in this part of the country were all sheep breeders. No one in Appleby, he was told, knew anything about dairy farming.
A SMALL START
Undeterred, he found a small business which to-day, with the help of a loyal staff, was one of the largest milk producing firms in the coutry[sic]. In that first year, said Mr Nell, they produced 1000 gallons of milk a day with a wage bill of about £3O a week. Last year that 1000 gallons had gone up to 41,000 gallons a day and the wage bill was now in the vicinity of £5OO a week. They employed about 100 people at the depot and the amount of milk and eggs passing through produced an income to the farmers and producers of £2,000,000 a year, as compared with £600,000 nineteen years ago.
Replying, Alderman R. J. Dawson, chairman of Westmorland County Council, said the people of Appleby appreciated the presence of Mr Nell and the Express Dairy Co. It was the one industry they had in the borough at the present time.
Penrith Observer, 16 December 1952
EXPRESS DAIRY DANCE
THIRTY years ago, it was difficult to imagine buying a milk shake in London made of milk from a Westmorland cow. Since then thousands have been sold.
This was how the Mayor of Appleby (Mr D. Macdonald) summarised the growth of the Express Dairy's Appleby and Egg Creamery, on Friday evening.
It is 21 years since the creamery opened, and to celebrate its coming of age, the company invited the 150 employees and their friends to a dinner and dance in the Crown Hotel, Penrith.
The Express Dairy is the second largest dairying concern in the country. Although its primary function is supplying milk to London, it also supplies milk and dairy products to many other districts.
The Appleby depot is its biggest, and supplies milk to a quarter of the London customers of the firm. Milk to the depot comes in 30 lorries from as far away as Middleton-in-Teesdale, Barnard Castle, Keswick and Shap.
9000 GALLONS A DAY
Two speakers on Friday told the story of the company's arrival at Appleby. First, Mr J. N. Ewbank, replying to the toast "Our guests." He did a lot to get the depot to Appleby and looked back to 1931.
"Conditions in agriculture were very bad then and money was very scarce."
Farmers who did send milk away could never be sure when their cheques would arrive. "The Express Dairy came along and said: 'Do you think you can give us 3000 gallons of milk a day from the Eden Valley?' I said 'If you give us a month we will find you 9000 gallons.'"
Cheques began to arrive promptly, said Mr Ewbank, and the farmers began to get confidence.
He paid tribute to Miss Winscom who worked hard, and guaranteed the farmers their cheques. Mr W. A. Nell, chairman of the company, had more to say about Miss Winscom, when he continued the story, replying to the toast of "The Chairman."
"She had the job of scouring the country to find places in which we could get milk for London. One day, she rang me up saying she had met two very nice gentlemen. Alderman Ewbank and the late Alderman Crosby."
Later, said Mr Nell, he came to Appleby and was told that if they paid cheques regularly, the company would do well. They got a site, and Mr F E. Bennett, the chief engineer, drew up a plan. The depot was built, and the first trainload of milk was watched out by the late stationmaster, Mr R. W. Powell.
There is no great credit due to us. We would not have got very far without the wholehearted co-operation of the Borough of Appleby and other local authorities. And it was not only the boys who helped. Mrs Arnison, Miss Allen and Miss Powell, did a lot to get the office going.
THIRD GENERATION
Mr Nell is the third generation in the firm since the Express Dairy was formed by his great-uncle Sir George Barham, who came to London from Lincoinshire, and in a small way in Hampstead started a milk business with yokes and pails in 1864.
He got his knighthood for helping to set milk standards which are still in force to-day. The first firm to send milk to London by express train, its name commemorates this fact. Nell concluded: When we started the Appleby depot we got into awful trouble from the National Farmers Union in London. I was told: There is no milk in Appleby, you are disturbing a sheep-farming district."
"But to-day, we are very proud of the Appleby depot. We in London have little to do with it. You look after it yourselves."
Mr T. D. Potter. who is a director of the company, proposed the toast "Our Guests" and welcomed everyone, especially Mr Masdonald [sic], the Deputy Mayor Miss E L. Brown, Mr Ewbank, Mr W Craig, who is now retired and was one of the first to work in the dairy; Mr J. Steadman, the dairy foreman, and Mr Fred Northgraves the engineer.
Mr Northgraves replied to the toast "Our Guests." He said he had seen the depot pass through all its phases. From producing 3400 gallons a day it was now producing 50,000. Next year it was hoped to produce 56,000.
Mr MacDonald said the creamery was now an integral part in the life of Appleby and a much larger area round about. He spoke of the need of increased food production.
MILK AND PEACE
"There will be no cure to the world's many ills unless there is some challenge to the staggering growth of population. We can be excused if we doubt whether the great production of armaments will maintain peace. But we do feel that greater production of all types of food including milk will help to keep peace."
Guests stood in silence before the dinner in memory of the late Mr P G. Weston.
Most of the arrangements for the event were carried out by the committee with Mr G C. Person as secretary. He was thanked by Mr Neil.
Before the speeches, Mr Nell drank a toast with four of the original workers: Mr Northgraves, Mr J Steadman, Mr W Craig and Mr W Bardgett.
Penrith Observer, 1 June 1954
A toast to the guests was proposed by Councillor G. W. Kay, and Mr W. A. Nell, chairman of the Express Dairy Company, replying, recalled that before the Express Dairy started at Appleby about 800 gallons of milk a day were despatched from the railway station each day. Now the figure was somewhere about 50.000 gallons a day.
Newspaper article summaries
Penrith Observer, 28 August 1956
This illustrated article provides a brief summary of building alterations and increased automation to cope with continuing increases in demand for milk production. Two production lines at the plant were each capable of handling 6000 gallons of milk per hour and a total of 57½ thousand gallons had been handled in a single day. Brief mention is made of an egg-packing station and of milk being sent to London in rail tanks.
Penrith Observer, 19 March 1957
This article outlines plans for a cheese-making factory at the site, capable of producing "thousands of pounds of cheese a day". It also provides some current statistics for the factory viz.:
- Milk was being collected from more than 1500 farms and being processed by 3:30pm each day.
- 22 lorries were travelling almost 1,700 miles per day.
- Daily milk production was around 50,000 gallons.
Penrith Observer, 11 February 1958
This is a very brief statement that construction work on the cheese-making factory had commenced.
Penrith Observer, 13 May 1958
This is a brief update on the construction work for the cheese-making factory and it includes a summary of some of the background details provided in earlier articles.
Penrith Observer, 9 September 1958
This is a report on a visit to the dairy by the Minister of Agriculture. It includes some background information for both the existing facilities and the new cheese-making factory, but the key details are covered elsewhere in this review.
Penrith Observer, 21 October 1958
This is a report of a talk given by the plant's Area Manager (Mr. Capstick) entitled "The collection and handling of milk." It provides some historical and contemporary details / statistics relating to the plant's operations. Milk production varied on an annual cycle and the typical daily output ranged from 37,600 gallons during August to 56,100 gallons during May & early June. Compared to the figures in the previous article, it seems that there had been a reduction in the number of producers (down to 1,300). The plant's vehicles were travelling around 2,300 miles per day and covering an area of around 1,000 square miles. The daily collections commenced with the farms furthest from the plant (including some located in Ulswater-side and Middleton-Teesdale). Milk was still being cooled (to 38-39 degrees fahrenheit) before being despatched to London in "special insulated 3000-gallon rail tankers".
Penrith Observer, 18 November 1958
A few remarks made during a toast as an official function that relate to the new state of the art (and "top secret") cheesemaking plant, which was being sourced from America (although it contained key parts from Germany).
Penrith Observer, 8 March 1960
This is an article about a group of pools winners, one of whom was a Mr Steadman. He was a former railway employee who worked on the construction of the original dairy buildings before becoming one of the first local employees of the Express Dairy Company in 1931 (when the milk - in churns - was loaded onto trains at Appleby railway station).
Penrith Observer, 22 November 1960
A statement by the Mayor of Appleby (during an official function) about the importance of the dairy to the economy of the town and surrounding neighbourhood.
Acknowledgements
These transcripts and summaries were produced by Mark R. Harvey from digitised versions of newspapers accessed via the British Newspaper Archive (https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/).