Publication Day Blog: The Hat Girl From Silver Street by Lindsey Hutchinson

I’d like to tell you about my inspiration for my book The Hat Girl from Silver Street.

From a small child I have been fascinated by hats and I have quite a collection now! From a beret to steam punk topper I love them all. Wedding hats, trilby, sixties cap, winter fur, leather/fur trim, bowler style… the list goes on. I even have a cowboy hat!

During my research for the book I visited the Hat Company in Manchester which is now a museum, and where I spent a few blissful hours. It holds millinery through the ages and I was in hat heaven! From the gift shop there I was able to purchase a book about how to make a hat, but alas I’ve not had time to try as yet.

After the death of my mother, Meg Hutchinson, in 2010 my father gave me my mum’s old ordinance survey maps of some of the towns in and around Wednesbury where I grew up. I think it was his way of encouraging me to write and follow in mum’s footsteps. I have found these maps invaluable during my writing to enable me to imagine how these towns looked at the turn of the century. Silver Street shows on one of the maps and I believe it is still there.

The initial idea for The Hat Girl came from attending a steam punk wedding in the summer, which also gave me a good excuse to buy yet another hat!

When I was a teenager, an elderly lady once told me, ‘If you feel down and depressed – go and buy a hat!’ It certainly lifts my spirits.

An old saying in the Black Country was, ‘Red hat – no knickers!’ I doubt it was ever true but always made me giggle when I was a youngster.

I do hope you enjoy reading The Hat Girl from Silver Street. You can let me know on social media. Keeeeeep reading!!!