Luton

We went to Wardown park, which surrounds a Victorian mansion that has been converted into a Museum. A large part of the exhibit is about the hat-making industry, which caused Luton to grow.

Before the Second World War, people wore hats most of the time. The hat symbolized social status and work trade, such as the bowler hat being worn by civil servants. Luton was a center for the hat industry, which started with straw plaiting and hat making in the 1600s. Women and girls would plait the straw into long lengths at home, and then bring it to the factories where it would be sewn into hats. This was actually a good-paying job for the times, and many women made more money than their husbands.

In the later 1800s, factories started making wool felt hats, which expanded after WWI. After WWII, styles changed and fewer people have been wearing hats, however, there are still some factories in Luton.Read more