Levens clock theft linked to missing sundial

BURGLARS who snatched a £200,000 Thomas Tompion clock from Levens Hall near Kendal last month could be responsible for the theft of a valuable sundial.
Detectives suspect the disappearance of the 300-year-old sundial from Dalemain house, near Penrith, is linked to the Levens burglary due to connections between its maker and Tompion.
The Sundial, which is worth between £50,000 and £60,000, was carefully removed from the garden of the stately home between September 6 and 9.
Its maker, Richard Whitehead, a renowned mathematical instrument maker, produced the intricate clock faces and dials for Tompion’s famous timepieces.
Detective Constable Damian West of South Cumbria CID said this obvious link, as well as the timings of the incidents and the fact both antiques were stolen from open historic houses had led police to combine the two investigations.
“All leads are being investigated,” he said. “It is too early say whether the items were stolen for a private collection or by a criminal gang. It may have been people who have stolen items not realising how valuable they are.”
Robert Hasell-McCosh, the owner of Dalemain House, said he had been ‘devastated’ to discover the sundial had been taken.
“I am very upset,” he said. “It is a great loss. It has been at Dalemain House since it was built in the 1680s.”
A £2,000 reward has been issued for the return of the sundial, which features an octagonal bronze dial and a 32-point compass.
A £20,000 reward is also available to anyone who helps recover the Tompion table clock, which was seized from the first floor library of Levens Hall at around 5am on September 19.
Offenders stole a ladder from the hall’s maintenance shed, scaled the estate wall and forced their way through a valuable lead-paned window to get to the rare 17th century antique.
‘Horrified’ hall owner Hal Bagot was left shaken and saddened by the burglary.
The clock had been on loan to Levens Hall and was damaged during the incident, with one of its four feet left at the crime scene.
A bronze figure of Napoleon on horseback by E.B. Mason worth around £5,000 was also taken, before the offenders made off on foot along the A6.
DC West is urging the public for help and would like to hear from anybody who visited the stately homes prior to the thefts and saw people acting suspiciously around the missing antiques.
“We would also ask anyone who witnessed any suspicious people or vehicles near the houses around the time of the burglaries or who has been approached by people selling similar looking items to get in touch,” he added.
Anyone with any information can contact DC West on 0845-3300-247 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800-555-111.

(Reproduced from the Westmorland Gazette, 29th Sept)

GARDIEN TIP: There are certain things which camn be done to minimise the risk of valuable items being stolen, See http://www.garden-security.co.uk/garden-antiques-security.aspx for advice