Drapers Dairy

A Memory of Woodford Bridge.

My mum took me to the pond when I was a toddler. There were tiny fish in the pond which fascinated me. On the right of the picture is a block of flats. This is where Rackham's Bakery previously stood (not Drapers Dairy as I previously wrote but have kindly been corrected by Norbert) until 2 June 1964. They sold fresh Hovis there and even miniature Hovis loaves. This bread tasted so good - not like the stuff you buy in the supermarket (supermarkets hadn't at that time been introduced from America). You could go to the Bakery and buy direct. I thought that the horse and cart delivery service was from there too but Norbert says this came from Draper's Dairy at Draper's Hill. I was very fond of the horse that pulled the cart which delivered the milk. I can remember my Nan having a chat with the deliveryman and watching "Dobbin" as I called him munching his oats from a thick cylindrical jute or hessian bag hung over his head. He had a very soft muzzle and was a very placid horse. I think his blinkers had "UD" for United Dairies on them.