A SOCIETY dedicated to collecting and studying the history of exquisite miniature works of art which was founded in a room in a Bromsgrove museum with just a handful of members can today boast at having more than 200 worldwide.

On Saturday October 20, members of the Hatpin Society of Great Britain will gather at Routh Hall, Bromsgrove School, to celebrate its 21st anniversary and listen to two well-known guest speakers talk on their own subjects.

They are Henry Sandon, the BBC TV Antiques Roadshow expert, who specialises in Royal Worcester Porcelain and Elaine Moore, head milliner with the Royal Shakespeare Company, at Stratford-on-Avon.

The woman whose idea it was to gather together a small group of like-minded friends at what was then the Norton Museum, in Birmingham Road, way back in 1980 is Margaret Norton.

An avid collector, Margaret, from Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove, said she became hooked on hatpins after being given one by a family friend.

It had been presented to her friend by her husband on their wedding day in 1900. It is a miniature Buddha carved in ivory.

That first pin was enough to set Margaret off on what is still for her a fascinating voyage of discovery.

She said at that time little was known about hatpins and there was much less documented.

However, she did soon realise they were fast becoming collectors' items.

"Intrigued, I decided to start a society aimed at finding out more," she said.

According to Margaret, at the turn of the last century a woman's hair was, as it probably still is, her pride and joy.

Then the style of the day dictated it had to be worn long and often scooped up and piled high on the head.

Given that hats were another essential fashion accessory there had to be a way of fixing the two together, hence the invention of the then humble hatpin.

The heyday of womens' hats, when styles were often very large and unwieldy, was between 1900 and 1910.

To cater for demand, millions of hatpins were manufactured. Often they were 14 inches long.

One of the chief places was Redditch.

As time went by, the pins became fashion statements themselves and were seen as part of a hat's adornment. They were commonly personalised with initials and given as gifts to mark special occasions.

They became keepsakes, handed down from mother to daughter. This accounts for the large numbers still available today which are sought after by antique collectors prepared to pay high prices.

Admission to the lectures is by ticket only.

Some tickets to hear Henry Sandon at the morning session are still available, priced £12.50, to include coffee. Further information about the society is available from Margaret Norton on (01527) 575936.