Beyond the Brim: The Heritage of Hat Making

London Craft Week
12-16 MAY 2025

Bank of England Museum
Bartholomew Lane, London EC2R 8AH

Opening Times: 10am - 5pm (late night Thursday until 8pm)
No entry fee or booking required for the exhibition.

See below for details of our ticketed Talk Events.

See the exhibiting milliners and their creations here >

Step into the timeless world of artisanal craftsmanship with 'Beyond the Brim,' a celebration of the rich legacy of hat making.

This curated showcase from the ‘British Hat Guild,’ in association with 'The Worshipful Company of Feltmakers,'and 'London Craft Week,' celebrates the artistry of contemporary hat makers; merging traditional methods with modern innovation. Every creation tells a story of meticulous skill, creativity and cultural significance, connecting past and present.  

Whether for fashion, function or fascination, 'Beyond the Brim,' promises an in depth exploration into the heart of millinery and hat making and the enduring legacy it carries forward.

Image credits:
'Aki' Headpiece by Giulia Mio Millinery
Photography by ISoElegant Photography
Hair and make-up by Pincurls Vintage Services

Ticketed talks

Wednesday 14th May
12.30pm - 1.15pm  

Language of Millinery with Bridget Bailey

"Now I think of millinery as a ‘language' in a way I didn't while I was making hats"

Bridget talks about her pathway to becoming an artist using the skills and techniques from her millinery career to express her ideas — Micro sinamay blocking to make a grape, all the rolling-skill and curve-control of working with Parisisal straw, compressed into a tiny pea-pod, or using the balance and flow that would go into a hat to arrange a whole installation, instead of placing it on a head… 

Wednesday 14th May  
2pm - 3pm

The Making of a Masterpiece: Hats for the Fabulous with Edwina Ibbotson, Dillon Wallwork, Jess Collett

Step into a conversation with some of the nation’s leading milliners about adorning royalty, designing for the catwalk and creating couture

Thursday 15th May
6pm - 6.40pm

The Coke – A Bowler Hat History by Lock & Co. Presented by Paul Hier, Lock & Co. Historian and Ben Dalrymple, Managing Director, Lock & Co.

The year is 1849 and nobleman Edward Coke commissions Lock & Co. to design a hat for his gamekeepers. Locks, in turn, commissions one of their most reliable suppliers, Thomas Bowler & Son, to make it. The result is the now iconic Coke hat or Bowler hat. Lock & Co. will take you on a journey from the invention of the Bowler hat, its roots in the country, the evolution to becoming an iconic London city-staple - and even how it conquered the American Wild West.”

Thursday 15th May 
6.45pm - 7.45pm

Behind the Scenes: A Conversation with Theatrical Milliners Sean Barrett, Jane Bedden, Rachel Frost, Sophie Lambe, Lauren Martin, Josephine Willis, Jane Smith

Step into a conversation with some of our nation’s leading 'Theatrical Milliners;' gain an insight into their industry and the part they play.