Hat Manufacturing in Luton England

Luton England became a centre of straw hat manufacturing in the mid nineteenth century. It is said that Maurice Chevalier bought his famous straw hats there. Sadly the hat industry has declined. My mother worked in one of these factories making hats.

Here are 3 pictures of hat manufacturing in Luton as shown in an out-of-print book "Old Luton".



If you would like a copy of the book you will have to get it second hand. Sometimes you can find it on E-Bay. The book contains 145 old pictures of the town.