6 stores · curated ORBIS register
London, UK
Bates is a London hatter within Hilditch & Key's shop at 73 Jermyn Street. Its range runs from flat caps to formal top hats and includes styles for different seasons. Shoppers can try on shapes in person and seek advice on choosing a hat.
Best for Trying on classic hats and caps on Jermyn Street
London, UK
Hatmaker since 1773; Prince Albert wore a Christys' top hat in the 19th century, and Marlon Brando wore a Christys' Homburg as Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
Best for Top hats, bowlers, trilbies and British millinery
Christys' has made hats in England since 1773, giving it a claim to being among the oldest continuously operating hat houses in the country. Its early reputation was built on top hats and bowlers; Prince Albert wore a Christys' top hat in the 19th century, helping establish the house among Britain's traditional gentleman's outfitters of the period.
Its most cited modern cultural moment is cinematic rather than royal: a Homburg hat from Christys' was worn by Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather, a piece of costuming the brand itself now leans on in its own marketing. Winston Churchill is also cited among its historic wearers.
The house continues to produce its hats — including panamas, fedoras, trilbies and flat caps alongside its original top hats and bowlers — using traditional felt- and straw-blocking techniques, manufactured in England rather than outsourced, which is the throughline connecting its 18th-century founding to its current product range.
London, UK
Lock & Co Hatters traces its London business to Robert Davis's shop in 1676 and the later involvement of James Lock. Its range includes felt hats and caps, with the Coke or bowler forming part of its history. The shop also provides guidance on hat selection and care to help customers consider fit and material before a purchase.
Best for Felt hats, caps and guidance on choosing a hat
Lock & Co Hatters traces its history to the shop opened by Robert Davis in London in 1676. The Lock family became connected with the business through James Lock, who inherited it after marrying into the Davis family. Its St James's Street history is part of the shop's identity, alongside the hats it supplies today.
The present range includes felt hats and caps, with seasonal styles and a separate interest in the Coke, or bowler. The company also publishes guidance on choosing a hat and caring for it after purchase. Shape and fit are practical starting points, particularly for someone who usually buys caps but is considering a more structured hat.
Try the relevant style with the clothes and outerwear you expect to wear, rather than selecting it from a historical association alone. Ask how the actual material should be stored and cleaned before making a final choice. A business with a long London history can still sell products with different material and manufacturing origins, which need checking individually.
Manchester, UK
A Manchester hatmaker tracing to an 1875 acquisition of the Maypole Hat Works, incorporated as the New Failsworth Hat Manufacturing Company in 1903; it made military headgear in WWII and produced Stetson-licensed hats from the late 1940s, and now trades as Failsworth 1903.
Best for Caps, flat caps
Failsworth's roots trace to 1875, when the business acquired the Maypole Hat Works and, in 1881, moved to a site on Claremont Street in Failsworth, near Manchester. It was formally incorporated as 'The New Failsworth Hat Manufacturing Company' on 2 December 1903 — the date now used in the brand's own '1903' name — starting from modest output of about 25 dozen hats a week. Growth was substantial over the following decades: by the 1940s the company was producing around 5,000 dozen hats weekly. During the Second World War, normal civilian hat production was restricted, and the company instead worked on Ministry of Supply contracts, making headgear for the armed forces and leather flying helmets and aircraft components for the RAF. In the late 1940s, Failsworth agreed a licensing arrangement with the American John B. Stetson Company to manufacture men's hats under the Stetson name in Britain, a partnership that lent the company additional prestige in menswear. The company was renamed Failsworth Hats Limited in 1940 and continues today, trading as Failsworth 1903, making flat caps, trilbies and other traditional headwear associated with northern English craft manufacturing.
Cleator, Cumbria, UK
The 504 flat cap of hip-hop and Samuel L. — British millinery turned street icon, kangaroo and all.
Best for Caps, iconic
Great Western Arcade
A hat shop in the Great Western Arcade selling fedoras, trilbies, flat caps, panamas, and berets for men and women, plus scarves, gloves, and ties. Staff also carry out hat care and grooming in store.
Best for Hats and headwear
Curated ORBIS register · official links shown where recorded
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