National Trust stolen bronze tortoises returned after 30 years

The tortoises were made using one of Bankes's own pets as a model

Four bronze tortoise sculptures stolen from a National Trust mansion almost 30 years ago have been returned after one was spotted for sale at auction.

Politician and adventurer William John Bankes had 16 tortoises made, using his pet as a model, in 1853 for the garden of his home - Kingston Lacy in Dorset.

The tortoises, used to support garden urns, were stolen in July 1992.

Sale details from the tortoise due to be auctioned, led to the other three being found with an antiques dealer.

The dealer had bought all four from a scrap metal trader and was "completely unaware of their history", James Rothwell, national curator for decorative arts at the National Trust, said.

The tortoises were made by Italian sculptor Baron Carlo Marochetti, who also cast the lions that guard Nelson's column in London's Trafalgar Square.

The four stolen tortoises were part of a set of 16 made by Italian sculptor Baron Carlo Marochetti

The National Trust said it was alerted to the auction offering the tortoise for sale by Tim Knox, director of the royal collection and a former head curator at the National Trust.

"Hope had faded over the years of recovering the stolen bronzes, Mr Rothwell said.

"Tell-tale signs that confirmed the identification were the hole in the tortoise's carapace where it had been attached to the urn, and the Roman numeral I branded into the bronze, which was part of Marochetti's system for numbering each set of four."

All 16 tortoises in the garden were replaced with replicas after the four were stolen

The returned tortoises are now on display in the house at Kingston Lacy Estate.

Following the theft, staff removed the remaining bronze tortoises for safekeeping and all 16 were replaced with replicas, which have remained in place ever since.

Kingston Lacy in Dorset was the family seat of the Bankes family since 1663 - the mansion was passed to the National Trust in 1982