Elephant Boot

These enormous boots with thick leather soles and laced canvas uppers were machine-made by Lotus Ltd, Northampton factory, in 1959. They were worn by Jumbo the elephant to protect her feet whilst walking as part of John Hoyte’s British Hannibal Expedition. The trek tried to retrace the route that Hannibal, the Spanish general, and his elephants took from France to invade Italy in 218BC.

Northampton Museums