Self storage is an industry in which storage space is rented to both domestic and commercial customers. Today it’s primarily a United States industry, but where and when did it all start? We started searching the net to see if we could find out…

According to storage legend the birthplace of self storage was in what is now Xi’an, China, Asia’s great old trade route. Today Xi’an is celebrated as one of the four great ancient capitals of China. However 6,000 years ago it wasn’t a very big deal. It was the Neolithic period otherwise known as the last part of The Stone Age. The people farmed, kept animals, and created pottery and jewellery. Of course with the development of these skills and the various objects they produced came the subsequent ownership of valuables.

Xi’an pottery from the Neolithic period 4000BC

Unfortunately, like today, in 4,000 B.C. Xi’an, it was not wise to leave one’s valuables lying around unattended, and it was this fact that inspired the world’s first storage facility.

It’s widely believed that a man named Xiang Lau opened the first storage facility when his mud hut became overcrowded with the prized bones of his enemies and his impressive collection of pots was being coveted by his neighbours. He secretly enjoyed keeping them in his man cave to gloat to all his friends, but there was always the fear they’d get stolen. Ultimately, it was his wife who demanded he remove them after she kept tripping over them.

Xiang Lau came up with an idea. He crafted large clay pots in which to place his objects of value and then he dug underground pits in which to lower the pots. He paid guards in food and water to watch over the sites and ensure that the pots and their contents were safe from thieves. Before long other ornament-owners were using Xiang’s new service to store their own treasured objects. Xiang was in business.

storage pits in Xi’an 4000BC

He was obviously a quick-minded business man too, offering deals, such as a ‘free ox rental’ when renting a storage unit! 

Six thousand years later all that has fundamentally changed is technology. Instead of storage pots we have steel storage containers, and our modern-day security guards use surveillance cameras and alarm systems in place of sticks and spears.

Ok, so this is an undocumented tale, but the odds are that an overcrowded living space and a bickering couple may well have led to the birth of ancient storage.

If your home or office is needing some attention or your other half is tripping over your stuff give anglia self storage a call. We are able to help 😉

Xiang Lau – the Neolithic Godfather of Storage

A New Era: Intermodal transport

Continued from blog post ‘Part 1 The Box that changed the World…’

McLean’s early container design

Feeling his early container designs could be improved Malcolm McLean, set out to create a standardised shipping ‘trailer’ or container, he purchased shipping company, Pan-Atlantic, who already had docking rights in many of the eastern port cities and renamed it ‘SeaLand Industries’. 

Sealand Industries

He tested variations of the trailer and settled on a primitive form of what we know today as the shipping container. It was strong, stackable, easy to load/unload and lockable. McLean  then bought the oil tanker, Ideal X, and modified it to hold 58 of his newly designed containers. It was a huge success. He was able to offer a discounted price of conventional cargo transportation, and the containers being lockable – prevented goods being stolen.

IDEAL X

In 1957 his ship incredibly only required two groups of dockworkers to unload and load the cargo. The cargo could be moved at a staggering 30 tons per hour, unheard of at the time. However, there was still the issue of a lack of standardisation with regards to the container’s size and corner fittings. Standardisation was needed so containers could be stacked effectively.

During the 60’s and the Vietnm war, McLean continued improving his container designs and filing more patents, including his patent of the revolutionary shipping container corner posts (vital to strength and stacking) and several standards were agreed. He engaged an engineer, Keith Tantlinger to help him. In a genius maneuver, he then gave the patent designs royalty free to the Industrial Organization for Standardization (ISO). This helped catapult his designs to the industry standard.

By 1969, SeaLand Industries was the largest cargo-shipping business in the world, and R. J. Reynolds purchased the company that year for $160 million.

In the 1970’s, McLean  returned on to the shipping scene after introducing and developing large “econoships” that would carry cargo at the equator while smaller ships came and went from them, picking up and delivering containers.

Malcom McLean died in 2001. His impact on transportation is up there with Henry Ford and yet his story remains relatively unknown. Because of him we have the standard ISO 20 foot and 40 foot shipping containers today.

Look out for future posts describing their many uses!

The Port of Felixstowe welcomed the arrival of the world’s biggest container ship this month, which can carry more than 21,000 20ft containers.

Exams finished, and final shows taken down, now’s the time when students are packing up and going home for Summer.

A great majority of Lincoln’s students are from overseas or other parts of the UK – so where do they put all the stuff they’ve hoarded during the year?

When my daughter finished her first year of university I naively drove to Oxford in blistering heat to collect her and her belongings – a suitcase and a few boxes right? No. I was shocked at the volume of stuff which had accumulated and was to be driven back to Lincoln – even worse, enter my house.

In fact, it wouldn’t even fit in the car!

That’s when I took advantage of her local storage facility … problem solved. Phew. All I needed to take back to Lincoln was her and her suitcase. Even better, I didn’t even need to drive her back again in September. Buying her a train ticket was bliss … Goodbye child and suitcase.

An £8 per week locker at anglia.

I’m happy to say that student storage at anglia costs a fraction of what I had to pay in Oxford – our cheapest open shelf storage starts at just £8 per week, a compartment with lockable, sliding doors like the one pictured, £8 and a mini unit 2.4m high! (which some students share), just £18 a week. Bargain. Plus, anglia self storage has a cool little van which can collect a student’s stuff and bring it to our site which is a mere half a mile away from campus.

The anglia self storage van

Benefits of using anglia self storage over the vacation :

1. Cost and time effective. Student storage starts from £8 a week.

2. Anglia self storage is only 0.6 miles from Lincoln University campus, a 10-15 minute walk, or an easy drive on the new East/West Road.

3. Our anglia van can collect and deliver your belongings for a small charge.

4. Storing at anglia over the vacation saves parents driving to Lincoln or hiring a vehicle – and also saves space back at home.

5. Security at anglia self storage is excellent and includes monitored CCTV, electronic gate and secure units. Students’ belongings are kept safe until their return the next term.

6. Overseas students can go home with minimal baggage.

7. No deposit payable.

What are you waiting for?