The London Hatter

A new history of the oldest hat shop in the world.

It’s the oldest shop in London, and the oldest hat shop in the world. Since 1676, Lock & Co. of St James’s Street has covered the heads of everybody from cab-drivers to reigning monarchs. This is the shop that invented the Bowler hat (also known as the ‘Coke’), that crafted Nelson’s signature bicorne and Churchill’s Homburg, and that provided Charlie Chaplin, David Beckham and various James Bonds with bespoke headgear. As the shop reaches its 350th anniversary, Matt Brown reveals the eventful history of a cherished family business and the secrets of the building it has inhabited for centuries.