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" The Great British Hat Makers "

Messages
18,353
Location
Nederland
Super interesting hat Stefan. I must admit Coypu escaped me as to being Nutria. Love the finish and color. Good to see the details of the one you were sporting the other day.

View attachment 138620
Thanks Mike. I had to look it up myself, but the name sounded familiar. This is one of those hats that came back to life with brushing and steaming several times. Very satisfying work that.
 
Messages
18,353
Location
Nederland
Another unknown brand (to me anyway). Percy Jones&Co ltd homburg in grey. Size 57, but this one fits me quite well. Brim at 6,5cm and crown 11cm at the pinch. The lovely grey colour of this one won me over. Percy Jones is most likely not the maker, but one of the hatfactories in Stockport or Denton nearby. based on the label shape and the sweatband I'd say it's probably by Moores. Colour is called "Coke".

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Messages
18,353
Location
Nederland
Posted this Percy Jones&Co homburg yesterday. The company was located in Manchester but was not listed as a manufacturer, so I was curious to see if I could determine which company was the maker. Most likely candidate is Moores hats of Denton. Sweatband style, size label and inside label compared.

moores size label and sweatband style:
moores grey_06.jpg

and percy jones&co size label and sweatband style:
percy jones_07.jpg


moores inside label:
moores grey_10.jpg


percy jones&co inside label:
percy jones_10.jpg



Not definitive proof, but certainly an indication. Other English makers used more elongated rectangular inside labels. The layout on other labels is a bit different too. These are exactly the same: size on the left, colour above and code underneath.
 
Messages
18,353
Location
Nederland
I have posted this one a few times in the WHAYWT thread, but not yet a full pictorial of the hat. Here goes.
The Duke hat lords hat in grey. Brim at 5cm and crown 10,5cm at the pinch. This may have some wool content in the mix even though the sweatband says "pure fur". English made hat and judging by its liner, size label and sweatband an early one. No label behind the sweatband, so hard to say who the maker was. First lords hat in grey I've seen so far.

duke-hat_01-jpg.147468
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Because there's no maker mark of any kind on the hat it's anyone's guess who the maker was. The size label uses a 'W' as backdrop, but that's not saying much. I don't think Joseph Ward was the maker for instance. Their hats mention their name quite prominently. It does has an English Union label on the inside, but that was unchanged for decades. It just tells us the hat is of English make.
 

drmaxtejeda

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,352
Location
Mexico City
I have posted this one a few times in the WHAYWT thread, but not yet a full pictorial of the hat. Here goes.
The Duke hat lords hat in grey. Brim at 5cm and crown 10,5cm at the pinch. This may have some wool content in the mix even though the sweatband says "pure fur". English made hat and judging by its liner, size label and sweatband an early one. No label behind the sweatband, so hard to say who the maker was. First lords hat in grey I've seen so far.

duke-hat_01-jpg.147468
duke-hat_02-jpg.147469
duke-hat_03-jpg.147470
duke-hat_04-jpg.147471
duke-hat_05-jpg.147472
duke-hat_06-jpg.147473
duke-hat_07-jpg.147474
duke-hat_08-jpg.147475
duke-hat_09-jpg.147476
duke-hat_10-jpg.147477


Because there's no maker mark of any kind on the hat it's anyone's guess who the maker was. The size label uses a 'W' as backdrop, but that's not saying much. I don't think Joseph Ward was the maker for instance. Their hats mention their name quite prominently. It does has an English Union label on the inside, but that was unchanged for decades. It just tells us the hat is of English make.
Hey, Stefan, can you tell me something of this one I just bought on eBay?
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Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:

drmaxtejeda

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,352
Location
Mexico City
I have posted this one a few times in the WHAYWT thread, but not yet a full pictorial of the hat. Here goes.
The Duke hat lords hat in grey. Brim at 5cm and crown 10,5cm at the pinch. This may have some wool content in the mix even though the sweatband says "pure fur". English made hat and judging by its liner, size label and sweatband an early one. No label behind the sweatband, so hard to say who the maker was. First lords hat in grey I've seen so far.

duke-hat_01-jpg.147468
duke-hat_02-jpg.147469
duke-hat_03-jpg.147470
duke-hat_04-jpg.147471
duke-hat_05-jpg.147472
duke-hat_06-jpg.147473
duke-hat_07-jpg.147474
duke-hat_08-jpg.147475
duke-hat_09-jpg.147476
duke-hat_10-jpg.147477


Because there's no maker mark of any kind on the hat it's anyone's guess who the maker was. The size label uses a 'W' as backdrop, but that's not saying much. I don't think Joseph Ward was the maker for instance. Their hats mention their name quite prominently. It does has an English Union label on the inside, but that was unchanged for decades. It just tells us the hat is of English make.
Two more pics
662b059cd76181c64cec686c83c1d5db.jpg
6a18d52d19e6c16fb8cf5d7dbdab4124.jpg


Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
 
Messages
18,353
Location
Nederland
Another T&W Lees of Stockport, England added to the collection. I have had a few of their homburgs pass through my hands before, but never one in my size. Until this one came along. An excellent hatmaker by any standard they made hats for other brands (like G.A. Dunn&Co) and under their own brand name.
Homburg in black with the brim at 6cm and the crown 11cm at the center dent. The liner is not in pristine condition (to say the least) and the sweat seems to have an addiction to leather conditioner (but seems solid enough). Fits me like a dream and the felt, ribbon and brim binding are all in great condition. I think this one is 1930's.
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I'll need another post for this, because of the shop it was made for.
 
Messages
18,353
Location
Nederland
Part II
The T&W Lees was made especially for P. van den Brul (first time I've seen this on a Lees hat). P. stands for Piet van den Brul, a large retailer with several shops around the country. Their main store was located in Amsterdam on the Nieuwendijk on the corner of the St. Nicolaasstraat. The shop was built in 1906 and rebuilt in 1930 in the style of the Amsterdamse School, designed by architect Hildo Krop. He designed 15 gable stones to be placed, referencing both the trade (with the initials of Piet van den Brul underneath) and Saint Nicolas (because of the location on the corner of St. Nicolaasstraat).
First picture is of the buildings'construction in 1906. The one next to it is the building in 1935.


brul-1906-jpg.155578
brul-1930-jpg.155579


First picture below is the construction of the new shop in 1930. Next to it the gable stone depicting Saint Nicolas.

brul-building-jpg.155580
gevelstenen-3-jpg.155581


A few of the other gablestones with the initials PvdB
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Advertisement for the shop dated 1935
brul-1935-jpg.155584


Another advertisement and the drawing for the 1930 building. The building still stands and the gable stones can still be seen. Piet van den Brul is long gone however, having closed shop in 1973 (the name P. van den Brul disappeared in 1966).
brul-jpg.155585
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What it looks like now.
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Messages
18,353
Location
Nederland
Another oldie; I'm thinking thirties (note the mention of H.M the King on the label).
Woodrow&Sons fedora in brown. First one I found in my size. Bound brim at 6,5cm and crown 10cm at the center dent. The hat shows its age and the ribbon has the most wear for some reason (but I'm reluctant to have it replaced). The crown patch was covered with cellophane, but it was a mess. I managed to restore it to a reasonable standard without the covering.
The nice thing about it is that has vents on the side, which is the first time I've seen that on an English hat. Felt is in excellent shape, with a lovely hand.
woodrow brown_01.jpg
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