Blocks at Walter Wright Hat factory in Luton
Tools of the trade
Greta Garbo lives on
Philip Wright, the fourth generation of his family to manage the factory
Scandinavia Cafe - food of the gods
Theresa and Gazza, the lovely owners of Scandinavia Cafe
A mural to commemorate 41 years of the cafe's existence
Beanies and beans of Luton
Rose and I intrepidly set forth on Monday for the bright lights of Luton. Luton’s reputation may not be the sunniest, but the big draw is the fact that it’s the heart of the UK’s millinery industry. Check it out for millinery supply shops, hat museum, and a hat factory dating back to the 1800s. A hatter’s paradise!
If, like us, you spend hours (and lots of £s) in the shops round the area you’ll probably want to top up on some sustenance to keep you fuelled. Whilst the high street has little to offer, we did find a charming caff’ called Scandinavia Cafe run by friendly couple, Theresa and Gazza. We were interested to discover that John Malkovich had frequented that very establishment whilst filming in Luton, a fact that life-long Lutonian Theresa filled us in on. Watch out Hollywood, you’ve got competition.