Alex Askaroff

The Luton Hat Trade, a Brief History - Sewing Machine Pioneer Alex Askaroff

It is difficult to imagine today that Luton was once the world centre of the Hat Industry, but for centuries that is exactly what it was. There was hardly a street that did not have a hat makers or someone connected to the hat trade in it. There was Olney's who manufactured straw Boaters, Lane's, who were the block makers. Brightman's in Bute Street and Snoxell's in Frederick Street. A & C Simpson of Guildford Street. Some still survive but one after another many closed as the town that had survived embargoes, and even Napoleon's blockades, changed into a university town. Age old traditions taught to children before they could run, disappeared too. Legend tells that there were more hat businesses in Luton than days of the year. Here for the first time world renowned author Alex Askaroff brings Luton's history back to life with actual stories from hat makers and much more. Come on a journey and discover why some people really were as 'mad as a hatter'.