Coventry Cap

. . . . One thing that always amuses me is that, in those days, everyone seemed to wear a cap, presumably the Coventry cap in this case. You never seem to see a bare-headed chap in a photo. Edited by Midland Red, 20th May 2016 11:35 am (Copied from "Time Machine" thread for separate discussion)

Mr D-Di. The proper Coventry cap had a button on top, dead centre, a cloth covered button.

I dispute what Norman says. The Coventry cap to me was a normal flat cap, it had a half-inch band round it and a small peak, I don't believe it had a button, it was not like a 'cubs' cap, or like a Naval Officer's cap. To me the caps with a button on top went more with the plus-fours people, that's the way we kids saw it. The war killed the Coventry cap in my opinion. The young generation at the end of the war, having worn all manner of shapes and coloured headwear and short hair, wanted new hair styles, and no hats, killed the caps dead.

I had a feeling that the Coventry cap did have a button. This is what the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum say about it in a Telegraph article: The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum says: "A Coventry cap, made of green or brown tweed, had a stiffened peak and popper to fasten in the crown." They add: "The Coventry cap is local in design, and the button used to have a farthing on it apparently." The accompanying picture certainly shows a button on the top too. I have an idea that my CCFC programmes from the 1930s may have an advertisement for a Coventry cap so I'll dig them out and see if I can find it.

The Farmhouse Restaurant (near Go Outdoors) was originally called the Buttontop and had a picture of a Coventry cap on its sign complete with button.

Norman Conquest. Looks like you were right, so I apologise, but I can't for the life of me remember anyone having one with a button, looking at old photo's on this forum I still can't make out a cap with a button. Regards Kaga.

Hi all My pianist companion, the late Archie Layton leading the opening of the Button.

Philip, that cap is the one I said goes with a pair of plus-fours, a pair of brogues on the golf course in the thirties. Now compare that cap with the four Coventry workmen caps in post 207 Canals around Coventry.

Hello all. Kaga, where does it say in that picture that the workers are Coventry kids? But it matters not. I am a born and bred Coventry kid but I have never owned a cap of any sort. The Coventry cap certainly had a button as several other forumites have confirmed.

The cloth cap was shown in hundreds of photo's in newspapers of the thirties, even workmen on the Mersey Tunnel wore the cloth cap, looked no different to Coventry workmen. The cap in Philip's post does not look a bit like a Coventry worker's cap, I believe the cap was sold in every town in the country. My father, plus his cap, was in both canal photo's I posted. The cloth cap was raised whenever a funeral passed by. it was not worn in the house, and when my uncles left the house gran would say 'Put your cap on or you will get a cold in the head'. Never had the nerve to ask where else could you get a cold.

Yes I agree with all those things you say and we are all aware of them, but the cloth cap was never called the Coventry cap during that time, or I never heard it so, It only came about after the war when people noticed in photo's so many caps worn by Coventry men, and then it became a show biz thing like Philip's photo, and Coventry being so many factories near the city centre enhanced that, at knocking off time you had 500/600 men coming through Broadgate on cycles and nearly all wearing cloth caps. At week-ends, they wore a jazzy little hat, suit waistcoat and fob watch and chain and looked very smart, and used the front room for socialising and family get togethers, during my life-time it was the best time I knew for family life.

Not as simple as that Kaga. As described above the Coventry cap was made to a unique design. Eight panels with a button on top. No other cap was quite like it. My father, born 1907, always wore the traditional Coventry cap as described. I have no idea when or how the traditional cap came about but it was certainly before WWII. Robin, sir. I was a Beduth collier and under the white light of the cap lamp colours appeared much the same as they do by sunlight, but, I have worked by the yellow light of a Davey lamp and colours do change. Pre 1947, before the mines were nationalised the cap lamp was only issued to overmen and deputies and the ordinary miner worked with a yellow light.

A Coventry Cap according to the Herbert Museum.

mcsporran, 25 pages of the Herbert, found nothing to do with cap. The flat cap in this picture was what Coventry workmen wore, and you could see over a thousand of them at Highfield Road when the Bantams were at home, but the opposing fans also wore the flat cap, so was it called the Coventry Cap? Now the workman in the picture, he is in the Cathedral and wearing a cap, he certainly would not have done that a few days before, neither would the Chief Constable have worn his cap in the Cathedral, the Germans dropped bombs and a long-time tradition of the Cathedral ended.