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Singular shops, makers and British institutions worth travelling for. Unique gifts for others, and perfect gifts to yourself.
The oldest hat shop in the world, trading from the same premises since 1676, where the bowler was invented.
HatsTrading before 1900Royal Warrant
Also in Shopping.
James Lock's shop has been on St James's Street since the seventeenth century and still measures heads with a conformateur - a Victorian device of hinged wooden keys that traces the exact shape of a skull onto card. Nelson bought a hat here and had an eye patch built into it.
The bowler was made here in 1849 for a customer who wanted a hard hat his gamekeepers could wear without knocking it off on branches. Lock called it the Coke, after him, and everyone else called it after the Bowler brothers who made it.
| Monday | 09:30 – 17:30 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 09:30 – 17:30 |
| Wednesday | 09:30 – 17:30 |
| Thursday | 09:30 – 17:30 |
| Friday | 09:30 – 17:30 |
| Saturday | 09:30 – 17:30 |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours from the page that lists them, checked 11 September 2026.
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Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.