Asher John Hucklesby (1844 – 3 January 1908) was an English businessman who was the five-time mayor of

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

between 1892 and 1906. A major hat manufacturer, he became known as the "straw hat king." From modest beginnings as the son of a grocer in

Stopsley Stopsley is a suburb in the north-east of Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. The area is roughly bounded by the edge of Luton to the north, Vauxhall Way and Turners Road North to the south, Bradgers H ...

, he became the owner of the largest hat business in Luton. Hucklesby began working for hat manufacturer CJ Rosson at the age of 13. When he eventually started his own business, it was an immediate success. In 1880 he bought the site of the old Luton Times offices and the neighbouring Spencer's Yard in George Street for £4,500 and built a large warehouse (now demolished). Hucklesby also used the upper floor of 48 George Street as a warehouse as well as 12 Guildford Street. Buying the site in George Street was a very shrewd business move. The building of the proposed

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

way in George Street had made it impossible for businesses along that road to load goods for the railway station but Hucklesby already owned Bond Street, which ran from George Street to Barber's Lane, giving him a private and direct link with the

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

. Bond Street is now lost as a road in Luton, it would have run roughly where

Primark Primark Stores Limited (; trading as Penneys in the Republic of Ireland) is an Irish multinational fast fashion retailer with headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. It has stores across Europe and in the United States. The Penneys brand is not u ...

now is. The warehouse he built is now the site of MacDonalds and

Snappy Snaps Snappy Snaps is a British photographic services franchise established in 1983 by Don Kennedy and Tim MacAndrews. History there are 120 Snappy Snaps franchise locations throughout the UK. Branches offer various services including one-hour film ...

. His business went on to be Lutons most successful hat manufacturing business during the 19th Century. As well as his council duties and his thriving business, Hucklesby also found time to serve as a JP and was active in the local church. He was president of the local

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

and also the Temperance Federation. He was keen on educating the people of Luton and the University of Bedfordshire is on the site of Luton Secondary (later Modern) School, which he helped to found in 1904 and was a member of the governing body. Along with councilor Edwin Oakley, Hucklesby purchased the estate that became

Wardown Park Wardown Park is situated on the River Lea in Luton. The park has various sporting facilities, is home to the Wardown Park Museum and contains formal gardens. The park is located between ''Old Bedford Road'' and the A6, ''New Bedford Road'' and i ...

for £16,500 in 1904 and sold it to Luton Council at the cost price, for the perpetual enjoyment of the people of Luton. Hucklesby lived in Leaside Villa which was built in 1878 and is now a hotel and restaurant (The Leaside Hotel) and the newly constructed road outside the hotel bares his name (Hucklesby Way). On his death in 1908, he was given a civic funeral, the largest the town has ever seen, with hundreds of people lining the route to his burial in Rothesay Road cemetery. He left a massive fortune of £164,862 (£ as of ).

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hucklesby, Asher People from Luton Mayors of places in Bedfordshire 1844 births Date of birth missing 1908 deaths People associated with the University of Bedfordshire 19th-century English businesspeople