Milled From Golden Fields – A Pictorial History Of Flour Millers’ Transport

Hardback Book

MILLED FROM GOLDEN FIELDS – A Pictorial History Of Flour Millers’ Transport In Great Britain

Flour milling is one of the oldest industries known to mankind. Even today foods made from flour form an important part of a well-balanced nutritious diet and there is scarcely a household that does not have either a loaf of bread or packet of biscuits in its kitchen. Consequently the British flour milling industry is massive, with some four million tonnes of flour being milled annually and a similar tonnage of wheat has to be delivered into the mills.

Transporting raw materials and delivering flour to customers of all sizes requires a large, efficient, in-house operation supported by haulage contractors.

Pictorially, this book traces the origins of transport in the industry and developments are covered from the earliest days of horses and carts, and then steam wagons. Early petrol lorries and all sizes of flat platform lorries and vans, including eight-wheelers are covered, along with pioneering trials with bulk flour tankers in the 1950s.

Separate colour sections depict historic flour transport lorries and their modern counterparts. An informative chapter provides historical details of British flour millers and the growth of famous groups such as Joseph Rank, Rank Hovis, Spillers Milling, Allied Mills, and ADM.

A separate chapter describes the evolution of flour transport. Vehicles from present day millers and those no longer in business are well represented with almost 50 different millers represented. Some 27 marques of lorries are included.

The author worked for flour milling companies for over 20 years and has comprehensive knowledge of the milling industry and its transport operations. Many of these photos have never been published previously and have been obtained from various sources including millers’ own archives.

• 275 x 205 mm,


• 144 pages


• Over 220 photographs (70 in Colour)


• Glossy Paper


• Hardback with dust jacket