Hat Works - Stockport
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This award winning visitor attraction offers two floors of interactive exhibits taking you on a journey through the history of Stockport’s once thriving hatting industry. The museum is home to a recreated hat factory with some 20 fully restored working Victorian-style machines and a fantastic collection of over 400 hats from around the world. ""The museum is a hub of excellence, creativity and innovation for milliners, crafts-people, designer makers and those with a keen interest in haute couture fashion and cutting edge textile design. The museum runs a wonderful programme of high calibre temporary exhibitions showcasing the crème de la crème of hatting and millinery design. Hat Works focuses on the development of the hatting industry from
its humble beginnings in the cottage industry to the mass production of
the early 19th century. One of the most atmospheric parts of
the museum is the recreation of a hat block maker’s workshop and office.
When they shut down in 1976, the contents of their workshop and office
were painstakingly removed, and are now on display at Hat Works in an
accurate and immersive recreation. Cool! Live demonstrations
of working machinery combined with an extensive collection of hats and
stimulating audio-visual shows create an experience, which is thought
provoking, educational and fun. Admission: General admission free. Tours £2.65 Opening Times: Tuesday through Saturday: 10am to 5pm Sunday: 11am to 5pm Monday: Closed, except for bank holidays 11am to 5pm. Tours run on the hour from 10.30am. The last tour starts at 3.30pm. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||