Stockport has a a rich industrial history. Being just 7 miles from the cottonopollis that is Manchester, Stockport established itself as a national centre for Hat Making along with Denton, just up the road.
Stockport’s Hat Making started in the 18th century with one of the biggest mills being Battersby’s Hat Works on Hempshawe Lane in Offerton which only stopped producing hats in 1997. Wellington Mill (Hat Works) was built in 1828 and increased Stockport’s Hat Production to 50,000 a week.