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Hat Works

Luton, Bedfordshire, England

Luton Culture

Oldest hat factory in Luton, Hat Works, provides flexible and affordable workspace

Grade II

Located in the centre of Luton, at the heart of the conservation area, this former hat factory at 47 Guildford Street was built in the mid-1800s. Originally a domestic dwelling, in 1881, it started being used by various hat making companies. Hat making was a major industry and employer in Luton from the 18th to mid-20th centuries. The last owner, Maurice Davis, ran his hat business from the factory for forty years, closing in 2006. The building was then left empty and unused for more than a decade before Luton’s Culture Trust bought the freehold in 2017.

Luton’s Culture Trust was established in 2008 as an independent charity with a mission ‘to connect communities through culture’. The Trust runs museums, theatres, galleries, creative workspaces, and an arts centre in Luton, where it delivers a year-round programme of events, exhibitions, workshops and performances. The Trust has been leading the regeneration of Luton’s historic Hat District by restoring and re-opening its old hat factories to provide exhibition and performance space, studios, and workspace for creative businesses. The vision for 47 Guildford Street, the oldest hat factory in Luton, is for it to become a flexible and affordable workspace for emerging creative and digital entrepreneurs, with a particular focus on young people.

The Architectural Heritage Fund awarded a Project Development Grant in 2017 towards professional fees and community engagement, followed by a Transformational Project Grant of £280,000 in June 2020 towards the capital costs of repair and restoration. The Trust completed the painstaking restoration and refurbishment in April 2021 and is now preparing to welcome its first Hat Works members.

https://www.culturetrust.com/spaces/hat-works

Image Credits

Shaun Armstrong (Mubsta.com)

AHF Funding

Project Development Grant - £25,000 (2017)

Transformational Project Grant - £280,000 (2020)

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