96/18/15

One half pint milk bottle, from a collection of 24 clear glass milk bottles with tapered necks (23 half pint bottles and 1 pint bottle) used at the National Institute for Research in Dairying (NIRD). The bottle has the inscription ‘N.I.R.D Shinfield’.

1 milk bottle: glass; good condition

Of the 24 bottles, a sample of 4 can be found in the small object stores [3 half-pints and 1 pint]. The remaining bottles are stored in a crate in the Museum's 'camp'., Object research project, John Masters, February 2020 – 'How can this object be described? // A clear wide-necked glass half-pint bottle,16 x 6 cm [height x diameter at base], with the inscription “N.I.R.D. Shinfield” // What was it used for? // From just after World War 1 until the late 1970s most milk that was bought in the UK was delivered to the home in glass bottles like this. In 1975 95% of milk was bought in glass bottles but by 2012 this had reduced to just 4%. The use of glass milk bottles was closely linked to the home delivery of milk. In 1970 99% of milk was delivered to the home but by 2014 this had reduced to 4%. Most milk was sold in one-pint bottles, but half pint bottles were not uncommon. One third of a pint bottles were used for the free school milk that was given to all schoolchildren up until the late 1970s. // What was the NIRD, Shinfield ? // The Research Institute in Dairying was established at University College, Reading by the Board of Agriculture in 1912. In 1921 the Shinfield Estate was purchased to accommodate it and in the same year it changed its name to The National Institute for Research in Dairying (NIRD). The Institute was concerned with research into the production and uses of milk and improving methods in the dairy industry. Part of this involved the testing of dairying apparatus. On 1 April 1985 the Institute was replaced by the Grassland Research Institute, Hurley and the Food Research Institute, Reading. // How old is this milk bottle? // We do not have an exact date. The NIRD, Shinfield name was first used in 1921 and last used in 1985. This bottle does not have a slender neck so probably dates from before 1935. It is not a “dumpy” bottle (shorter and wider than its predecessors) which were introduced around 1980 and are still in use today. // How did this milk bottle get into the museum? // The NIRD was part of University of Reading and a number of dairying objects from NIRD have found their way into MERL. This bottle is one of a group of 24 bottles (23 half-pint and one full pint) that were obtained together as a group from NIRD. // How was milk delivered before the glass milk bottle was used? // There are a number of objects in MERL that illustrate the delivery of milk from churns. // When did glass milk bottles become popular? // The first glass milk bottle was patented in 1874 in the USA. Their use gradually transferred to UK but until World War 1 milk was still mainly delivered on horse-drawn milk carts - and ladled into reusable lidded tin cans from a churn or measured into the customer’s jug. By the 1920s and 1930s glass-bottled milk in the UK was the norm, but bottles had cardboard slips at the top. In 1935 slender-neck bottle were introduced, giving the illusion of more cream and supposedly favoured by housewives. // Slender necked mid-century milk bottle // Aluminium foil tops eventually replaced cardboard for hygiene concerns - but World War 2 shortages meant experimentation with zinc, tin and even lead-based alternatives. There were an estimated 30 million lost glass bottles a year during World War 2 and in some areas, there was a return to tin can delivery using ladles. By 1980 the modern version of the milk bottle had been introduced. Shorter and wider, initially it was nicknamed 'dumpy'. // Advertising was introduced to dumpy milk bottles in the UK in the 1980s. However, the advertising interfered with the infra-red checks for cleanliness introduced in the mid 1980s and by 1990 the advertising had largely disappeared. // Why did glass milk bottles become popular? // Glass bottles were much easier to keep clean than metal churns and cans. The ability for customers to be able to see the cleanliness of the bottle and its contents was very important in an age when there was a growing awareness of the importance of food hygiene. Faster transport using railways, the introduction of heat treatment for milk making it a more durable product and the use of refrigeration both in milk transport and home storage totally changed the nature of milk delivery and glass bottles far better suited these new methods. Glass bottles were washed by customers after use and returned to the milkman for sterilisation and reuse. A milk bottle could often be used up to 25 times. // Why did we stop using glass milk bottles? // Cartons and plastic bottles were found to be much lighter, cheaper and safer than glass both to manufacture and transport. Plastic containers could also more easily be used to contain larger quantities of milk. Plastic bottles can be recycled but not reused in the same way as glass bottles. They also prevent light oxidation which damages the quality of milk when it is held in a clear glass container. The switch away from glass bottles had coincided with the move away from daily home delivery to buying milk from supermarkets. In recent years concerns about the environmental concerns including the impact of plastics have seen a resurgence of home delivery of locally sourced milk in glass bottles but there is still a very long way to go for glass milk bottles to regain the popularity they held in the early 1970s.'

National Institute for Research in Dairying (Corporate Body)