IN DEPTH
History of J. Clarke's dairy in Richmond, Surrey which became Hornby & Clarke's in 1917 and was taken over by Express Dairy in 1960
VIDEOS
This silent film (6:49) about Hornby & Clarke, Richmond in the 1950's features Guernsey cows on Petersham Meadows, hand and machine milking, churn collection, laboratory testing, batch pasteurising, bottle filling, crating into wire crates, delivery with electric hand-carts and children drinking school milk. From British Instructional Films Ltd, made available by British Pathe, you can also watch the original here.
1890's J Clarke & Sons Hand Cart. Alan Bissell comments "The Clarke family moved from Paddington to Richmond in 1890 to take over the dairy business that had already been established at 14 Upper Hill Street, Richmond - known as Sudbrook Farm. By 1901 the Clarke family had expanded their successful dairy business and opened a second shop in the newly constructed Cambridge Parade in Richmond Road, East Twickenham. Chris Forrester added "They later amalgamated with Hornby Dairies to become Hornby & Clarke. Miss Hornby lived at the big cottage opposite the pond at Palewell Common. I used to deliver her papers when I worked at Maynards Newsagents.(Courtesy Twickenham Park Residents Association)
1890 J Clarke moved to Richmond to take over Sudbrook Farm Dairy, which started in 1852. (Courtesy Twickenham Park Residents Association)
1900's? "Rare brass dairy can for the Model Dairies of Richmond." (Courtesy The Antique Dispensary Ltd)
1900's? "Cream Jar for the Model Dairies of Richmond." (Courtesy The Antique Dispensary Ltd)
1900's J Clarke shop in East Twickenham. Paul Lelliott comments "The Express shop was just at the bottom of Richmond bridge; there also was one in St Margarets Road. Always doing run-outs to them." (Courtesy Twickenham Park Residents Association)
1900's Decorative tile panels installed at all J Clarke and Sons shops. (Courtesy Twickenham Park Residents Association)
1900's Decorative tile panels installed at all J Clarke and Sons shops. (Courtesy Twickenham Park Residents Association)
1903 Clarke's expanded to open a shop at 7 Station Parade, Kew Gardens. Hornby opened a rival shop at number 16! Caroline Blomfield comments "16 Station Parade is now Pether's the butcher. The present owner of Pether's has been told that they used to keep their horse and cart for deliveries behind the shop. There was also an Express Dairy in North Road in 1960. By 1920, 7 Station Parade was Hornby & Clarke Ltd., a large local dairy, with shops all over south and west London." Michael Jackson remembers "deliveries of milk from Hornby and Clarke using the old hand pushed cart. I cannot imagine it was pushed each day from Richmond, so I imagine it was stocked up from a local point before the round was started. They kept their cows on Petersham Meadows from 1870 until 1935, when the farm was taken over by Express Dairy. By the mid-60s 7 Station Parade itself was an Express Dairy. After a spell as Hobson's Bakery, it is now Starbucks." (Courtesy Twickenham Park Residents Association)
Clarke and Sons card (Courtesy Kew through my camera lens book, Pat Thomas)
1904 Advertisement for Clarke's five shops. (Courtesy Twickenham Park Residents Association)
1910's F & H E Hornby’s milk delivery wagon. Josiah Clarke died 12th June 1917. The family run business was then amalgamated with their main rival F & H E Hornby. (Courtesy Twickenham Park Residents Association)
1911, further expansion with now seven shops. (Courtesy Twickenham Park Residents Association)
1911 The Clarke's main shop at 46 Hill Rise, Richmond, now renumbered to 84. (Courtesy Twickenham Park Residents Association)
1913 Cream Jar advertising the newly opened Chiswick shop. (Courtesy Twickenham Park Residents Association)
1939 Hornby and Clarked deliveries by Ted Badcock of Richmond Depot retires after 50 years - from Express TOPS magazine (Courtesy Beryl Purslove)
1939 Bus/coach roadside passenger shelter at the Granville Hotel, Uxbridge Road, Ealing Common, with Hornby & Clarke Dairy shop. (Courtesy London Transport Collection)
1950's Hornby and Clarke advertisement showing Petersham Farm. (Courtesy Twickenham Park Residents Association)
1950's Hornby and Clarke's shop at Kew. (Courtesy Twickenham Park Residents Association)
1950's? Hornby and Clarke (Courtesy Don Reid)
1958 Hornby & Clarke. "Milkman Alfred Dobbs says goodbye to all his customers-Alfred is 65 years of age and is retiring after 48 years with Hornby and Clarke Ltd, Richmond. Three generations in one family have had milk delivered by him, and they all came to their mothers house to give Mr Dobbs a cheery send off on 9th March 1958" (Courtesy memorylane.co.uk)
1960's Hornby and Clarke shop at St Margarets Broadway. (Courtesy Twickenham Park Residents Association)
1960 Walter Nell reviews progress, with the acquisition of Allied Dairies in Manchester, the Surrey Sterilised Milk Company at Nine Elms, Hornby and Clarke in Richmond, Towers Holdings (Mitcham Foods), and Goldhanger Fruit Farms in Essex. (Express News Summer)
1960 Express Dairy take over Hornby and Clarke Ltd (Courtesy twickenhampark.co.uk)
1960 History of Hornby & Clarke
1960 History of Hornby & Clarke
1960 History of Hornby & Clarke
1960 History of Hornby & Clarke
1966 Sheen Lane shop, still trading under Hornby & Clarke name, manageress was Mrs Taylor. (Express News Summer 1966)
1969 Long Service awards for Miss D.M. Over (Hornby and Clarke) and Miss E. Clayton (Tavistock Place). (Express News Summer)
