© Claire Kendall / Barcroft Media
Hidden away in a small Wiltshire room is a collection of the world’s finest gloves.
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Some have been worn by royalty, others are the smallest in the world, but they are all unique and historically important.
Dents Gloves are one of Britain’s oldest fashion houses, established in 1777, and are still thriving.
Their extraordinary museum is housed in three rooms at their Wiltshire factory and opened to the public by appointment only.
© Claire Kendall / Barcroft Media
“The museum was started 20 years ago by company director Robert Yentob,” said curator John Cundick.
“These gloves were all over the place, in drawers and cupboards and he wanted to see them displayed so it is his private collection.”
The extraordinary museum in Warminster includes the world’s smallest gloves.
© Claire Kendall / Barcroft Media
At little more than a centimetre in length, it is believed these tiny garments were created by glove makers as show pieces to illustrate their work.
No-one knows how old they are or who made them, but the tiny stitching is only visible through a magnifying glass.
Pride of place in the collection is the Elizabeth I coronation glove. The single embroidered glove from 1559 has been handed down to each reigning monarch.
© Claire Kendall / Barcroft Media
Also among the Royal collection are gloves belonging to King Charles I and Queen Victoria.
Dents also made the coronation glove for King George VI in 1937 and Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 but sadly they are no longer in their possession.
Royal gloves are not the only items tucked away in the museum. There is a plethora of highly decorated ladies evening gloves spanning the next few centuries and an absurdly flamboyant pair of men’s gloves from 1660.
The collection follows the social history of Britain as hunting gloves and ceremonial free masons gloves give way to cycling and motoring gloves.
© Claire Kendall / Barcroft Media
Of particular pride to John, himself an employee of Dent’s for over 60 years, is a leather pair made for Sterling Moss. The racing legend even wrote a letter to Mr Condick in 1956 personally thanking him for his driving gloves.
A draw full of designs and gloves made for fashion icon Mary Quant marks the onset of the swinging sixties and from more recent years, there is a pair of leather gauntlet gloves made for actor Michael Keaton for the 1989 film, Batman.
One of the most bizarre objects in the collection is the Limmerick glove, so fine it could be stored in a walnut shell. The exceptionally thin leather could only be achieved by extracting the hide from an unborn calf, obviously necessitating the slaughter of a pregnant cow and the removal of the foetus.
Although this seems repugnant to modern society Queen Victoria was very keen on them and ordered several pairs a year because the gloves could only be worn for one day.
© Claire Kendall / Barcroft Media
The collection contains gloves made from rat, chicken, calf, lamb, rabbit, beaver, kid, mink, ocelot, musquash, chinchilla, seal and even peccary skin.
Also at the museum is a plethora of memorabilia including old sewing machines, posters and advertisements.
Words by Lucy Tatchell
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