Christys' & Company Ltd of London Hats

Christys' & Company Ltd of London history
The House of Christy was founded by Miller Christy in a small courtyard shop off Gracechurch Street in the city of London; the year was 1773. After serving a ten year apprenticeship Miller had become fully qualified in the “Art and Mastery of Felt Making.” He was a man of high ideals and character, a Quaker, so it is not surprising that the little hat business soon acquired something of a reputation and trade progressed and grew steadily. As early records testify even in the infancy of the business Christys’ hats were in great demand overseas and Miller Christy had customers as far as Virginia.

Christys' quality
Christys’ is the only company in the world still making high quality top hats and bowlers in the traditional way. Using hatting skills established over 200 years ago, the dedication of their highly skilled craftsmen and women is helping to keep a valuable industry very much alive. Today, the making of quality-felt hats is still very labor intensive process. With some 45 operations involved, many done by hand, the skills of the hat makers have to be developed over many years of specializing in one operation.

Christys' tradition
The Christy family was introduced to hat making through marriage with the Miller family, some members of which were engaged in hat making in the eighteenth century. In 1773 Miller Christy, founder of the House of Christy, was apprenticed to his brother-in-law William Miller to learn the art of hat making. After a ten year apprenticeship he founded The House Of Christy. Married and started a family. The two eldest sons, John and William were taken into partnership. The Christy family has fostered the tradition and craft of hat making for over 200 years. Through its history the craftsmanship of a Christys’ hat has lent itself to many shapes, from police helmets, riding caps and genuine Ecuadorian panamas to the fine fur felts that have become the hallmark of the Christys’ brand. The House of Christys’ has maintained the highest standards of hat making throughout their history and continues that tradition to the present day.