London Milk Trail, The: The Story of Welsh Dairies in the City

This is the story of the dairy industry in London. Between the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, many families from Wales - especially from Ceredigion - moved to London in search of a better life due to the harsh conditions of life on their smallholdings, following a route already pioneered by drovers and cattlemen.

Review :
Its in the detail: in the Bristol brown paper the drovers carried with them to act as a water-repellent vest when they slept outdoors, in the small pieces of metal that were hammered onto the cattles feet to stop them wearing away on the long march from Cardiganshire to London, in the three Scots pines or yew trees that indicated a tavern where drovers were welcome. Its the fascinating details and the depth of research that bring this history to life. The London Milk Trail is an account of an extraordinary trade, possibly dating as far back as the thirteenth century. By the nineteenth century, hundreds of cattle were being driven at a pace of two miles an hour over the Cambrian Mountains to London and the south-east, where they were sometimes kept for a short time to supply the growing milk market and otherwise fattened up for slaughter. In those times there were still fields in and around London where the cattle could graze. Having delivered the animals, the drovers then had the long trek home, with the head drover carrying the not-inconsiderable amount of money and facing the peril of highway robbers on the return journey. Unsurprisingly, the drovers established a banking system that allowed them to carry cheques rather than cash! As the demand for milk increased, dairies were set up in the midst of the city. Cows were kept in common cowsheds and taken to the parks or yards to be milked directly into customers vessels on the spot. And those same Welsh families who had driven their cattle to London were predominant in this new trade. As the development of the railways meant milk could be brought in fresh enough from rural areas, it was mainly Welsh families who established the dairies who received the milk in churns, and pasteurised and bottled it to be sold from wooden milk carts pushed around the city streets on foot. Megan Hayes has collected an impressive amount of data to give us an accurate picture of this arduous life: the length of the working day and week, the price of milk, the wages paid, family relationships, and the constant arrival of new prospective dairy men and women leaving behind the fields and villages of Cardiganshire for the crowded, noisy streets of London. The dairies were often run by families and passed down through the generations. The Welsh communities that grew had their own chapels and culture. It was a culture of philanthropy and generosity for those who succeeded, who often sent money home to Wales to help struggling relatives and provide funds for good works and public buildings including, of course, chapels. Enriched not just with photographs of many of the hard-working dairy men and women, but with poems of the time and first-hand reports from the sometimes bemused English observers of this Welsh-dominated trade, The London Milk Trail is a fascinating history. Lucy Walter It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council. Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru. -- Welsh Books Council