The Offerton Hat Works and Stockport’s Felt Hat Industry

Stockport became one of the leading centres for the British felt hat industry in the 19th century. An archaeological survey of the Offerton Hat Works that was carried out between May 2019 and February 2020 in advance of redevelopment has provided a detailed record of one of the best surviving 19th-century hat works in the town. The Offerton Hat Works was hailed as a state-of-the-art ‘model factory’ when established in 1886 by William Battersby, who emerged as one of the leading manufacturers of felt hats. This article summarises the conclusions drawn from the archaeological survey of this important works, with reference to other surveys and excavations of earlier 19th-century hat factories elsewhere in Stockport and in the neighbouring towns of Oldham, Hyde and Denton that together chart the key stages in the transition of hat production in north-west England from a cottage craft to a specialised factory-based industry of international repute.