Lotherton Hall’s Pet Cemetery

The dogs once lived a life of luxury as faithful companions to Sir Alvary and Lady Gascoigne, the last private owners of stunning Lotherton Hall in Aberford.

Lady Gascoigne, a devoted dog lover, took her dogs away with her when she travelled the world with Sir Alvary, a noted diplomat. Some of their pets also came home with them to Leeds after being picked up in one of the many countries they visited.

The couple decided to bury their pets in the grounds of the estate, where today there are nine headstones each bearing the name of one of their dogs.

The couple created the cemetery while they lived at the house between the 1930s and 1960s.

Lotherton is currently hosting a nostalgic look back through a memorable 50 years as one of the city’s best-loved attractions.

A new display entitled End of an Era has been curated by Lotherton volunteers and takes a closer looks at the last members of the Gascoigne family to live at the hall. Poignantly, this includes the death during World War Two of the heir of Lotherton, Douglas Gascoigne, a tragedy that ultimately led to the gift of Lotherton to Leeds.

A selection of letters written by Sir Alvary during his diplomatic career are also on display, including a letter describing a private meeting Sir Alvary had with Winston Churchill in 1943.

The hall will also be showcasing some of the jewels in its extraordinary collection in the new 50 Years in the Making exhibition. Special displays of decorative arts and archive material expose the varied and fascinating stories of the collections left by the Gascoignes and those brought to Lotherton in the last 50 years.

And the impressive fashion galleries will be hosting the Fashion Forward exhibition, which will shine a light on catwalk designs by some of the country’s exciting contemporary talent.

For more details, visit: http://www.leeds.gov.uk/museumsandgalleries/Pages/Lotherton-Hall.aspx