The Midland Railway crest

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THE MIDLAND RAILWAY ASSEMBLAGE TRAILS
"The Family Trail"
Stop Thirteen: The Milk Churns

Turn around from the drawers and crane your neck up....

Looking up at the rafters we see a mezzanine floor above us with various items located on the edge it forms, including some milk churns

Stop 13

Where: B5 - look up (Way, way up!)

What: Milk churns

Material: Steel

Why: It is no exaggeration to say that the arrival of the railways in the mid-19th century revolutionised dairy farming. Suddenly it was possible to convey fresh milk over long distances. The big cities, especially London, provided a huge and lucrative market. Most rural stations witnessed chaotic scenes every evening as youths employed by the local farmers raced their horse-drawn drays to get their churns onto the platform in time for the train so they would arrive at London in the morning, to be snapped up by the market traders there. Woe betide the hapless farmhand if they missed the train. Equally, woe betide the railway company if they failed to get the churns to their destination while the milk was still fresh.

Ref: RFB13986

A view of a milkk churn, side-by-side with a close up view of the top of the churn with brass labels which read; J. Hutchinson, M.R., Chellaston.