Pellie
Call Me a Cab
- Messages
- 2,935
- Location
- Enschede, Netherlands
Very nice. Like this color combination! A shame it didn't fit me, but i'm glad it fits you!
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" The Great British Hat Makers "
- Thread starter Chepstow
- Start date
So am I! Thanks again for sending it my way.Very nice. Like this color combination! A shame it didn't fit me, but i'm glad it fits you!
Pellie
Call Me a Cab
- Messages
- 2,935
- Location
- Enschede, Netherlands
My pleasure!!
London Finish bowler in a grey colour called flint/grey. Size 56 with the brim at 4,5cm and the crown at 11cm. Must have had a liner at some point, but it's missing now, which is strange since the hat is in pristine condition otherwise. When I find older bowlers in a different colour I try and buy them, since they don't show up often. I'm guessing the original maker of this one may have been Moores.
That is one nice, tight dimensioned Bowler, Stefan.London Finish bowler in a grey colour called flint/grey. Size 56 with the brim at 4,5cm and the crown at 11cm. Must have had a liner at some point, but it's missing now, which is strange since the hat is in pristine condition otherwise. When I find older bowlers in a different colour I try and buy them, since they don't show up often. I'm guessing the original maker of this one may have been Moores.
It has a John Steed of The Avengers look about it. Could well be a Manchester maker, but the label, sweatband logo and size label don't really point to any one particular manufacturer.
Shame the liner has gone.
You did well to buy it though. It's a beauty.
Thanks, Steve. I think it's Moores, because the label doesn't say "style" (T&W Lees) or "shape" (Battersby and Joseph Ward), but it's true; it could have been one of the plenty of other manufacturers. Had to bake it to get it to fit more properly (still a bit tight though).
Pellie
Call Me a Cab
- Messages
- 2,935
- Location
- Enschede, Netherlands
Scott & Co from England in color "Sable" came in today. Super soft felt which is easily to crease.
jeffgarf
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,730
- Location
- Jerusalem, Israel
Battersby, Palermo style in blue.
That's a nice looking Battersby, Jeff. One of the many great Manchester hat makers back in the day. It's a very desirable colour, too.
Any labels under the sweat?
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jeffgarf
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,730
- Location
- Jerusalem, Israel
I don't think there were. Usually I try to find and post them when I can on European (or British) hats. I'll check again this evening.
jeffgarf
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,730
- Location
- Jerusalem, Israel
Nice one, Jeff. Cool find.
jeffgarf
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,730
- Location
- Jerusalem, Israel
Long before Steven Spielberg was making films, Herbert Johnson was making hats. Before Raiders (over twenty years), they were reputed to make great hats. I think I have one from the late 1960's. Rabbit in a napped velour finish, the red label that reads "Made in Gr. Britain" seems to date from this time period. It has a 6cm brim and is easily shaped. It was shipped to me in a small box with a couple of sheets of paper towel and nothing more. It snapped bank quite well.
Moores bowler in grey. Size 57 with the bound brim at 5cm and the crown at 12cm. No label inisde the hat. I try to pick up bowlers if they are a different colour than black and I was thinking this could maybe be nice for one of our members here. The hat fits me fine, but would probably be too small for the size 57 and a smidge members of the lounge. What can you do?
jeffgarf
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,730
- Location
- Jerusalem, Israel
I don't know if these hats qualify for the "great" in Great British Hat Makers since I cannot seem to find any information whatsoever about them, Hilhouse & Co. I am posting these here, among other appropriate threads, to see if anyone knows anything about the makers, the history, or the age of the hats. They will require a good bit of work, but the felt is fine. They will need serious reshaping and sweatband repair so I am looking to prioritize if there is any historical value to doing the work.
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jeffgarf
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,730
- Location
- Jerusalem, Israel
Once I rechecked my spelling (one L, not two), I did find some information about the company. Seems some photos show them as advertising that they incorporated in 1799 and that they existed until at least mid twentieth century. I'll be interested to see if our British members know any more.
- Messages
- 12,564
- Location
- Orange County, California
That's beautiful! If only it were my size (7-1/2 / 60 cm), and, probably, half the price of whatever it's worth.
Thank you. Bowlers in different colours are rare enough, let alone in larger sizes.That's beautiful! If only it were my size (7-1/2 / 60 cm), and, probably, half the price of whatever it's worth.
Nice find, Jeff.
I believe Hilhouse & Co were sellers of hats and not actually makers. The font on the sweatband looks similar to Dunn & Co. They also had an address on Bond Street.
Lock & Co could also be in play here.
Historically speaking, I don't think it's worth posting too much money into a refurb project.
- Messages
- 10,660
- Location
- New Forest
Hilhouse & Co. were widely recognised as a premier London hat and cap makers, producing and branding their own luxury felt, bowler, and silk top hats, featuring custom silk linings stamped with their corporate name. Like many elite heritage hatters of the era, they also functioned as outfitters and retailers, occasionally retailing or co-branding fine headwear sourced from other esteemed makers (such as Lock & Co.) alongside their own manufactured inventory.
Hilhouse were not traditionally milliners: The term, milliner, (in Brit-Speak,) historically referred specifically to designers and makers of women's hats. Hillhouse & Co specialised explicitly as men's hatters rather than milliners, catering to a clientele of gentlemen, nobility, and high-society dressers on London's Bond Street. The widespread post-war abandonment of formal hats for men and women drastically reduced custom.
The firm operated out of Jermyn Street, as well as Bond Street, (incorporating Harman & Son) into the 1950s, but ultimately closed down as the market for bespoke, high-end traditional headwear shrank.
