A lady got in touch recently, asking to replace a leather strap on an old vintage hat box that she had found stored away in her loft.
Upon arriving, I could see that the early 20th Century hat box needed much more work to make it ‘useable’ again, as there was evidence of woodworm and the paper lining inside was peeling away, quite a lot, not to mention the leather strap had snapped.
Before Photos
I explained to the customer, what options were available to her and she decided to go ahead and have the hat box treated for woodworm, the woodworm holes filled in, the paper lining and the frayed lid tidied up, the leather strap replaced and finally give it a damn good polish.
Skills v Passion
I must point out that 95% of these skills are NOT taught on a Saddlers training course, but what I lacked in formal qualification was bolstered with the fact that my husband and I have an appreciation for vintage and antique furniture and come across these issues a lot when we rescue or buy such furniture.
Historically, I’m also a seamstress and a handy crafter (and have had businesses in both trades) so this was a doddle of a job once I looked at it more closely.
History Research
As a HUGE fan of historical eras and objects from that time, I started to do a bit of research into the box and found that it was likely to have belonged to a Tailers and Drapers shop in Bridgnorth, which is a beautiful riverside town just 12 miles from us.
The customer had told me that the box had been her mother’s who lived in Bridgnorth, and with the writing ‘ Waterloo House, Bridgnorth’ painted upon the hat box, it was a good place to start researching.
Google is a great place to start research, especially when most of my screen time is done during the evening time when getting to a library is difficult.
I have learnt that there was a drapers, hosiers, tailors, clothiers and undertakers located at Waterloo House (now Waterloo Terrace) in Bridgnorth, under the name of William Jones & Co (Bridgnorth) Ltd. Like many drapers they may have diversified into wool sales and become an early department store. They were established in 1802. The company was eventually wound up in 1966.
Unfortunately, it looks like the original Waterloo House is no longer there and in fact has been made into Waterloo Terrace. I’ve tried to look for some original images of Waterloo House to no avail, but when I get a day to myself I shall pop into Bridgnorth and speak with someone at the Town Hall or at the Information Centre.
Made In London
On the underside of the Hat Box lid was a label which said ‘Made by Clements, Newling and Company Ltd of 95 & 96 Wood Street, London, E.C.2’. So I googled it!
What I have found out is that Clements, Newling and Company Ltd were a famous haberdashery display cabinets and shop display makers. The pink chequered paper lining was actually a popular feature of their Edwardian Bent-Wood Drapery Boxes.
I’m guessing that the hat box I had in my possession was likely commissioned by the Waterloo House Drapers as their shops name was hand painted onto the box probably so they could use it as a display box in their shop.
It’s also possible that the hat box was given or sold to a customer upon purchasing a very fine hat.
How it ended up with my customer, is a mystery, but what a lovely piece of history to be able to display in their home now.
If anyone can provide any further evidence of either of these companies, or if you too have a hat box needing some love, then get in touch.
The Restoration
As the hat box had an awful amount of small holes, I treated it for woodworm before filling them in and giving it a good clean.
The paper lining inside was precariously hanging on in places and therefore I spent some time gluing it back down whilst matching the pattern up as best I could.
There was a frayed area on the lid that needed looking at. It looks like the lid is covered in some sort of material, calico maybe and then painted black. The area which was fraying looked like a label could have been there and when it was removed it took the material with it. Over time it started to fray.
I just snipped the frayed ends and then mixed some black dye into the glue and glued the material down.
Sadly the original leather strap had snapped, but luckily there was enough leather remaining for me to splice a new leather strap onto it, without having to attempt the removal of the original rivets (that attached the strap to the box). I was conscious that I could possibly damage the box trying to get those out so I was glad I could use the existing leather as a platform for a new strap. Actually it was nice to see the old under the new leather and thus keeping a little bit of originality.
Finally, I gave the whole box a really good polish. It seemed to bring it all back to life and helped to blend the lighter areas of the box with the darker areas.
After Photos
All in all, I think I did a great job and was very sad to see it go home.
The customer was over the moon with her hat box and left me a wonderful review:
