Today we look back to a time when the railway companies were compelled, by law, to be common carriers. Anybody could present a consignment of goods at a depot and the company would do all necessary counting and weighing, and would look up the rate for the product in a huge tome. The consignee would pay over the right amount and his goods would be labelled and placed in an appropriate truck.
Later, a ‘pick up’ goods train would arrive and would add the trucks waiting to its train and haul them off to a central depot for resorting.
It wasn’t the quickest way of getting goods from one place to another, but it worked.
We have recently been given one of the labels issued at Lavington.
Great Western Railway goods label issued at Lavington station
We can see, and it is no surprise, that this label was issued by the Great Western Railway. It appears to have been issued on 1st July 1919 at Lavington. Christopher Williams was sending his consignment to Bristol – the Redcliffe Sidings. We know the wagon number it went in and the sheet number.
It would be lovely if it told us more. We have no idea what Christopher Williams was sending.
Sadly, we have no idea who the consignee was, beyond his name.
Perhaps somebody might be able to help us with that?
Can you add anything to this or do you want to know more?