Former Dairy Crest/M&D Transport site

Image: © John Baker Taken: 25 Mar 2013

The site in question is the building behind the silver car and was the site of the Rolle Canal Company’s stores that was leased to Messrs Robert Sandford & Son and then in 1874 became the Torridge Vale Butter Factory, later to become the much expanded, highly mechanised Milk Marketing Board's Dairy Crest Plant, which closed in 1993 http://www.great-torrington.com/history/ I saw, while scouting around the entrance to the building for clues after taking my photograph, signage for M&D Transport. I found two links for the company http://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/27th-july-2000/40/md-transport and this explained that in the year 2000, M&D Transport was an ongoing concern specialising in the running of a fleet of reefers (slang for refrigerated railway cars (in this context lorries)) and bulk tippers (lorries or trucks) to transport animal carcases from the abattoirs in and around Great Torrington to London’s Smithfield Market and regional distribution centres across the south of England. Eggs and cheese were also collected from farms in Devon and Cornwall. I sent an email to the company http://mdtransport.co.uk but did not receive a reply, which may be because the website is under construction. Then I wrote to Great Torrington Tourist Information Centre and am indebted to Penny Podmore, the manager of the centre for her reply “M&D Transport really just used the Old Dairy site as store and parking site for their lorries and I think they only left there within the last year or two. I think they are now on the Hatchmoor Industrial Estate”.

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