IF YOU should have any old milk bottles in your coal shed, garden shed or basement, don't throw them out.
Milk bottles may seem an odd item to collect but Steve Wheeler, from Malvern, near Worcester, has almost 17,000.
But he has precious few from this part of the world and would like to remedy this.
Steve explained: "I have a large Scottish sectio
n on display, but very few examples from the Arbroath area. There are a lot of barns and old dairy buildings, and even under the kitchen sink where a bottle may be found: please don't throw them away!"
He has been collecting for almost 30 years now and has all sizes from quarts right down to old creams, half pints and the one-third pints originally used to supply local schoolchildren. He continued: "My aim is to have a National Milkbottle Museum started and I am talking to the National Trust and other bodies at present."
Steve gives talks to WIs, young farmers' clubs and church groups, etc. while scouring the country for any bottles and dairy memorabilia he can find. He also receives donations from various institutions, such as the Dairymen's Benevolent Society.
He plans to visit Arbroath at the end of March and can be contacted on 01684 569656 or by e-mail at milkbottlepast@hotmail.com
Steve with some of his huge collection
