This month, Barry Cuff has found four dairy-related postcards from across Dorset, each offering a glimpse into the county’s once-thriving dairy industry and the farms, factories and workers behind it
This card is postmarked 1908
The striking Bladen Dairies at Briantspuddle (opposite, top) was part of an ambitious experiment in modern farming created by Sir Ernest Debenham, grandson of the founder of the Debenhams department store.
Debenham began buying land in the Piddle Valley in 1914, eventually creating the Bladen Estate. His aim was to apply new scientific methods to agriculture while creating employment and good housing that might help stem the movement of rural workers into the towns.
At its heart was the purpose-built dairy at Briants-puddle, known locally as ‘The Ring’ because of its distinctive curved layout. Far ahead of contemporary Dorset farming, it used early large-scale mechanical milking equipment and even had its own bacteriological laboratory, where milk was tested for quality, bacteria and fat content. Workers supplying the dairy could earn bonuses for producing milk with particularly low bacterial counts.
At its peak, the estate handled thousands of gallons of milk, as well as producing butter and cheese: customers reportedly included Cunard and the Home Fleet. The business was sold in 1941, while the original Briantspuddle dairy buildings survive as private homes.
