Today an old acquaintance of mine is traveling to the place where we first met nearly 7 years ago. In case you were wondering, that location would be Northwest England. One of the more interesting (depending on your definition of the word) museums in the area would be Hat Works in Stockport. Prior to moving into a refurbished cotton spinning mill, the collection was once housed in a former Battersby’s hat factory. One shouldn’t be surprised that something as exciting as hatting equipment has its own museum, considering this is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. A specific memory I have of the Hat Museum? Probably the oh-so exciting opportunity of cataloging buttons as part of an internship. Something tells me I wasn’t wrong in turning that one down.
If you’re curious about Stockport, I suggest watching the kitchen sink drama A Taste of Honey. Not only does it perfectly capture the poor, industrial areas of Northwest England, but it also has absolutely nothing to do with hats…or honey.
