Dick Smith, a member of the Cumbrian Railways Association, which specialises in the study of Cumbria’s fascinating railway history, recalls the days when numerous parcels and packages were delivered to Westmorland by rail. Mr Smith is a member of the Lakes LIne Rail User Group and of the Community Rail Partnership. STAND on any town centre street on a weekday morning and you will see vans of many logos and sizes, delivering to shops and businesses.

It’s difficult to remember, but it isn’t that long since the last railway parcel service disappeared.

In the early days of railways the companies realised that by carrying parcels on passenger trains they could offer a rapid delivery service around the country, and also make more money.

The Royal Mail had its monopoly over letters, but parcels were fair game.

The Lakes Line Rail User group has a ‘carter’s delivery book’ from Kendal station, dating from 1875.

It must have been important, for on the inside front cover it states: “Should this Book be lost, anyone bringing it to Kendal Station, will receive 2s 6d (12½p) for his trouble.”

In 1875 The ‘Westmorland Gazette’ cost 2d (0.83p), so in relation to this price, then would be about £11.25 today.

The book records items received at Kendal and delivered by the London and North Western Railway’s own staff.

Railway delivery services were so extensive that stations such as Kendal included stables for the horses.

Julian Mellentin’s 1980 Dalesman book Kendal and Windermere Railway includes a photograph of the last ‘Horse Show’ at Kendal station in 1950.

Eight horses, carefully turned out, lined up for this, and the parade was attended not only by Mr Daw, the Station Master, but also the Mayor and Mayoress.

The 1875 book shows how vital was the railway parcels service to businesses and households around Kendal.

In July 1876 we find goods sent from stations including Preston, Rochdale, Sowerby Bridge, Penrith and Leeds.

Mr H. Wakefield of Sedgwick had a case of wine delivered from Broad Street (London).

But not everything came from far away; two bundles were sent from Milnthorpe to Crosthwaite.

The previous month J. Miller had received a bundle of umbrellas from Windermere, on the same day as Mr G.

Bywater apparently moved from Dewsbury. The carter delivered him nine chairs, two tables, a dresser and even ‘two buckets’.

Parcels traffic became so important it outgrew the spare space on passenger trains and special trains ran made up entirely of parcels vans.

One started at Windermere in the late afternoon, stopping at Kendal to attach the parcel vans from there, with a load that included boxes of K shoes for clients all over the country.

The rise of motor transport and, later, rail closures gradually eroded the railway parcels market.

After nationalisation, the small packages service was updated as ‘Red Star Parcels’, which was still carrying millions of parcels in the 1980s, but disappeared in the 1990s, ultimately taken over by one of the firms with its logo on the vans of today.