Delivery Victorian-Style

Prior to the expansion of the railways in the Victorian era the chances are your daily newspaper really did contain yesterday's news. The newspaper owners were quite happy to send their morning papers to the provinces via night coaches leaving London some twelve hours after the papers had come off the press. So if you lived in Bath or Blackpool, Bury or Bridgend there was no up to date news for you.

Creative Delivery Methods

William Henry Smith, (yes the very same W.H. Smith whose shops are still found in every town big and small across the country) came up with an idea.

He arranged for his  own carts to be ready and waiting for the newspapers as they came off the press. He had his men deliver the papers to the coach departure points before the morning coaches left and therefore in the hands of customers before the end of the day.So determined was he that even if the coaches had departed before he could get the papers to them, he insisted his men chase after them "hell for Leather" until they caught up and the newspapers were safely loaded on board.*

That's what we call service! We will do everything we can to get our products to you as soon as possible. We offer free delivery on all orders over £50.

* These interesting facts about delivery methods in the Victorian era and many more can be found in the book: Shopping in Style, written by Alison Adburgham