found: Basement of the old Nisa Stores, Chalton St
Date: unknown
This glass milk bottle is a reminder of the days when milk was regularly delivered to one’s home. The glass bottle gave a clear view of the condition the milk was in, so important for health standards. This bottle might have come from those days, late 19th and early 20th century, when the horses ran London.
One of the providers of milk in the area was the Co-op. The provision of Co-op products was started by the Rochdale Pioneers in the 1860s, and by the end of the 19th century Co-op products were sold in hundreds of Co-op stores and some were close to Somers Town. The Chalton Street Dairy at 119 Chalton Street, was renowned for the quality of its milk, but the Co-op milk was also widely consumed. Significantly, the glass milk bottle was reusable, unlike the plastic bottles of today that are discarded, contributing to the global environmental crisis.
By John Cowley