A & H Betts Ltd, coal merchants in St Rule Street, Battersea, used this carrier to transport heavy sacks of coal into narrow or confined spaces. The company was established in 1887 and supplied coal, coke and fuel oil to domestic and business customers. Until the 1940s, most homes in Britain used coal-burning stoves. The coal merchant would deliver to houses every week. Domestic coal consumption gradually declined after the war, and Betts Coal merchants closed in 1974.
