Billingsgate Bobbin Hats?

On t.v. at the very moment (on Dave and Dave + 1) is a Michael Bentine film from 1966 called The Sandwich Man, its a nice film and I noticed odd looking hats worn by Billingsgate Porters and Fish Mongers that I've never seen before, doing a Google I came up with this from the British Pathe Archives....

Anyone else remember these hats? I don't, I am younger but thought it might be an interesting thing to post...

http://backup.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=47989

[FLYING SAUCER]

Re: Billingsgate Bobbin Hats?

I have a lovely DVD one of the Look At Life series, about old London. It features a clip of Billingsgate with the fish porters with these strange leather bowler type hats on. It states that these were worn to stop fish juice running down the face of the wearer (they were of leather construction, and were equiped with a spout at the back to duct the liquid away from the porter!)

It also says that these hats were handed down from generation to generation and when the top sole wore out, it was replaced by another slice of leather, rather like shoe repair.