Dairies in working class London in the early 1900s

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Typical Edwardian dairy in north London in the early 1900s

Robert Hobbs dairy and confectioner shop in at No. 3 The Green in Lower Edmonton.

Although this was not the local dairy for where my mother lived in Upper Edmonton, working practices of the businesses would have been similar. Photo courtesy of Miranda Pender.who notes that sons and daughters helped with the milk round, from a very early age, Reggie whose diaries are on http://edmontonodyssey.blogspot.com was expected to help when he was not at school. After World War One broke out and the young men of the family were either away at the Front or in the Special Constabulary, her great-aunt Nancy had to do the round, while her mother and elder sister ran the shop. She was just 12 years old !

Milk was a big problem in the hot weather as no-one had a fridge, and the milk was fresh, not sterilised or pasteurised to help it keep. I would often be sent to the dairy with a jug in hand to get more milk because the milk that had been delivered by the milkman had gone off. It was quite difficult to carry back without spilling. (In very hot weather, my mother would scald the milk, ie heat it to near boiling point, to make it keep longer. The disadvantage was that the cream would rise to the top and create a skin. I loved this skin, but most people didn't, and it took the substance and flavour out of the milk.)

My mother did not specify which dairy in Silver Street she was writing about. According to the 1911 census there were two:

One dairy was at 91 Silver Street and was owned by James Webber 42 a dairyman, born George Nympton in Devon. His wife was Caroline Webber 47, born St Lukes, London, who helped with the business. Ernest Alfred Webber 16, born Paddington, a nephew, lived with the couple and worked as a milk carrier. Although the couple had been married for 21 years, they had had no children.

The other dairy was at 108 Silver Street and was owned by Robert Cosgrove, 41, a dairyman, born Hackney. His wife was Ann Cosgrove 34, also born Hackney. Their son Caleb Cosgrove, 11, and their daughter Kathleen Cosgrove 3, also lived with them. The children were both born in Edmonton. Sadly their other two children had died.

Pat Cryer.

Our local dairy in Silver Street was a beautifully clean-looking place with white tiles on the walls, and a china vat on the counter with a bright measure hanging on the side. The shop sold butter, biscuits and eggs as well as milk, and there were new-laid eggs and white china swans in the window. The milk was kept in churns in the yard at the back at the back of the dairy.

If you can add any information or a photograph about the dairies, I would very much appreciate hearing from you. Pat Cryer

The dairy in early 1900s Edmonton, north London

This website Join me in the 1900s is also known as Join me in the 1900's and is © Pat Cryer.