Hats That Made BritainThe Hats That Made Britain: A History of the Nation Through Its Headwear

The world’s most famous hats have their origins in Britain. In fact, many of them were designed by James Lock & Co, the world’s oldest hatters, whose history can be traced back to 1676. Their shop at 6 St. James’s Street, London, their headquarters since 1765, has played host to an extraordinary clientele over the years, including Lord Nelson, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks Junior, Jackie Onassis, and, more recently, Jackie Chan and David Beckham. Iconic hats such as the bowler, Nelson’s bicorn, Oscar Wilde’s fedora, Queen Elizabeth’s coronation crown, and Winston Churchill’s homburg were created here, and British Tommies in World War I were even fitted for their Mark 1 tin helmets at Lock & Co before traveling to the Western Front. This bookcelebrates these as well as hats that have graced the screen, such as Oddjob’s steel-rimmed Sandringham in __Goldfinger__ (designed at Lock & Co) and, more recently, the flat cap worn by the infamous Shelby clan in __Peaky Blinders__. This is the first book to tell the history of Britain through its headwear. The world’s most famous hats have their origins in Britain. In fact, many of them were designed by James Lock & Co, the world’s oldest hatters, whose history can be traced back to 1676. Their shop at 6 St. James’s Street, London, their headquarters since 1765, has played host to an extraordinary clientele over the years, including Lord Nelson, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks Junior, Jackie Onassis, and, more recently, Jackie Chan and David Beckham. Iconic hats such as the bowler, Nelson’s bicorn, Oscar Wilde’s fedora, Queen Elizabeth’s coronation crown, and Winston Churchill’s homburg were created here, and British Tommies in World War I were even fitted for their Mark 1 tin helmets at Lock & Co before traveling to the Western Front. This book celebrates these as well as hats that have graced the screen, such as Oddjob’s steel-rimmed Sandringham in Goldfinger (designed at Lock & Co) and, more recently, the flat cap worn by the infamous Shelby clan in Peaky Blinders . This is the first book to tell the history of Britain through its headwear. Many of the world's most famous hats have their origins in Britain; in the Middle Ages there were civil and religious laws requiring hats to be worn and in Victorian Britain a person would no more leave home without a hat than a pair of trousers. It is no surprise that London's oldest surviving shop, Lock and Co., is a hatter. From practical everyday caps and bonnets to military headwear, top hats, and even the coronation crown, hats of all sorts have passed through its doors and continue to do so after more than 300 years.In this fascinating new book David Long reveals how much of Britain's social history can be understood through its headwear, and in exploring the ways in which a hat speaks volumes about its wearer's rank and status he tells the stories of the people beneath some of the most famous hats of history.