Passion Projects
In 1977, Gertrude Hunt gave Leeds Castle in Kent a rather unusual gift: 60 dog collars. She made the donation to the former Norman stronghold in memory of her late husband, the historian John Hunt. The couple had both collected art and antiques, which included a batch of canine accessories from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
The collection became the base for the Dog Collar Museum, which now houses the largest display of dog collars in the world. Its 130 items reflect the role of dogs through the ages. In Tudor times, for example, dogs herded sheep and cattle, hunted, or fought wild animals for their master’s entertainment. Many of the collars, now on show at the one-time home of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon, were appropriately made of iron plates of chains with spiked links to intimidate
