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A pensioner who has spent two decades collecting barbed wire believes she is the only person in the UK to collect the spiked steel fencing.
Jacky Smith, from Christchurch, Dorset, picked up her prickly hobby more than 20 years ago and says she finds the history behind barbed wire 'fascinating'.
Others argue that her £1,400 collection might be the 'dullest' in the country.
But the retired English teacher, who is in her 70s, explained how a trip to Texas kickstarted her unusual pastime.
'I came across a museum in Texas called the Devil's Rope Museum - it was all about barbed wire.
'I purchased a zip lock bag of 4in pieces of wire from there which contained an information sheet about barbed wire. I became slightly obsessed ever since.'
Pensioner Jacky Smith, from Christchurch, Dorset has spent the last two decades assembling a formidable £1,400 collection of barbed wire (above)
The retired English teacher, who is in her 70s, believes she is the only person in the UK to collect the spiky steel fencing
Before the pandemic, Jacky would visit rotary clubs, church groups and even The Women Institute to provide informative talks
Jacky has decorated her hallway with approximately 90 unique pieces of barbed wire, with some dating back 160 years to the American Civil War.
And her interest in the spiky steel fencing even led her to decorate her toilet in a barbed wire theme.
She has a monthly subscription to a barbed wire magazine from America, and says she 'always makes time' to visit museums or conventions when she visits the States.
Before the pandemic, Jacky would visit rotary clubs, church groups and even The Women Institute to provide informative talks about barbed wire.
