The early nineteenth century witnessed the mass movement of people from Britain's countryside into its burgeoning towns and cities; people came to the city in search of work. This prompted many dairy farmers to follow suit and move themselves, their family and their cows into the country's growing metropolises, where they opened the first generation of city dairies. In the 1830s, transportation in Britain was revolutionised by the coming of the railways, enabling foodstuffs, including milk, to be transported in bulk from countryside to city. Large dairy companies took advantage of this opportunity, opening a new generation of retail dairies. The demand for milk was so great that some cities boasted a dairy at the end of every street. For the next hundred years the cowkeepers fought a rear-guard action against the mighty corporate dairies and their attempts to monopolise the liquid milk market. The cowkeepers continued to produce their own milk, selling it ? 'fresh from the cow' ? over the dairy counter and out on the milk round. These dairies were kept in the family, handed down through successive generations. Despite surviving two World Wars, the rapid technological, social and economic changes that followed, brought about the demise of the traditional cowkeeper. But the city dairy continued as a family business, working as part of a national distribution network, overseen by the Milk Marketing Board. Out on the round, the family dairyman was almost indistinguishable from the corporate milkman. The sixties and seventies saw the arrival of the Supermarket, a game-changer in retailing. To survive, the city dairy had to change once more. It expanded its offer and seamlessly joined the ranks of those other most British of institutions: the Corner Shop and the Convenience Store. AUTHOR: Dave Joy is a historian, genealogist, writer and published author. He spent many of his childhood days at the family's Wellington Dairy, in Garston, Liverpool, and has written extensively about the life and times of the city's cowkeepers and dairymen. Dave is a member of The Society of Genealogists, The Society of Authors and a variety of local and family history organisation. Since the publication of his books, he has become a popular public speaker, much in demand throughout the northwest of England, and has lectured at Liverpool John Moores University and at Lancaster University's Regional Heritage Centre. Further information about Dave's research, his programme of illustrated talks and his publication history can be found on his website: davejoy-author.com 49 b/w illustrations
