Wilson and Stafford Hat Factory, Atherstone
Friends of Atherstone Heritage
Denham and Hargreaves Hatters outing, 1950s.
Image courtesy of Friends of Atherstone Heritage
Vero and Everitts Hat Factory, November 1987, before closure.
Photo courtesy of Friends of Atherstone Heritage
Vero and Everitts Factory, November 1987, before closure.
Photo courtesy of Friends of Atherstone Heritage
I used to work at the hat factory and the slipper factory, mostly Christmas for the slipper factory. It was ladies’ side and men’s side, so we didn’t mix and we used the bridge seen in the photograph. As the road was bad, with a bad bend, we had to use the bridge – but this was very rare we went to the men’s side.
A hot block
I used to put the hats on a hot block to make sure they were the right size. I also used to measure the ribbons for the hats. We used to make hats for Biba and a hats had holes – I could put holes were you wanted but no more than 10 holes and they were sold in London by Biba.
I also worked at Coventry Brace, where I had to check the braces. Coventry Brace is now where the Aldi supermarket carpark is.
Comments
During the second world war the hatting industry did well in Atherstone as they made military hats. Woman in the town did outwork trimming the hats, such as fezes.
If women didn’t take in evacuees they had to go out to work instead and my mother worked in the post office, she is in the photograph above (third in from the left on the front of the group photograph). Her name was Dorrie Stafford.
There was a very good air raid shelter in Harpers Lane, Mancetter, which was situated underneath The Spinney, in which we spent many nights during the war. I particularly remember the Coventry Blitz.
There was a barrage balloon station at the top of Harpers Lane, which was meant to interfere with aeroplanes.
During the war Atherstone Grammar school took in pupils from Stoke Park and Barrs Hill School in Coventry, because of that the school requisited rooms in Hill house for class rooms.
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