Author Description

'Where do flies go in the winter? Through Denton to Hyde (hide).' This old music hall joke is probably the only reference most people had regarding Denton, apart from hats. The sixteenth century saw the introduction of the felt hat-making industry, to which Denton owed its rise from an obscure hamlet to an important manufacturing town. By 1825, there were twenty-five hatting firms and Denton was the third largest hat-making centre in the North West. It was here that the famous Trilby hat was designed by the Denton Hat Company, which was a best-seller around the world for many years. However, the town boomed in the mid- to late 1950s, as it no longer relied solely on hatting for prosperity. This unique selection of old and new images and informative captions will be essential reading for anyone who knows and loves this town.