As mad as a hatter

On our way home we stopped off at Thetford forest.

On the outskirts lay this old ruin.

Thetford Warren Lodge. A lost industry a warreners lodge.

It was a big business years ago. A source of food and the perfect pelt for a hat. Then we got over run by rabbits so they brought in the very nasty myxomatosis to cull the rabbits, this made the meat unhealthy to eat and the skins no good to wear so eventually the warreners went out of business.

But have you ever wondered were the saying as mad as a hatter comes from??

The pelts were treated with mercury which caused a lot of the hat makers to go mad hence the saying......