Forde Abbey theft: Large bronze horse disappears from gardens

Police are investigating reports that a large blue Transit-style van was sighted close to the estate

A large bronze statue of a rearing horse has been stolen from the grounds of a historic estate.

Dorset Police said the ornament was taken from the gardens of Forde Abbey between 22:00 BST on 26 September and 08:00 on 27 September.

It is investigating reports that a blue Transit-style van was sighted close to the estate and in the village of Thorncombe at the time.

The statue can be identified through a signature marked Marcia Astor, 2000.

Sgt Natalie Skinner, of the Dorset rural crime team, said: "I am appealing to anyone who witnessed the statue being stolen to please contact us.

"I also wish to identify the owner of the above-mentioned vehicle sighted in the area at the time and speak to them.

"In addition to this, I am reaching out to residents in those areas to please check their home CCTV cameras to see if they have captured anything that may help us identify the vehicle and its owners."

Forde Abbey has a 900-year history and started out as a monastery

According to Lou Nicholls, a head gardener and writer, the "extremely heavy bronze sculpture" was "very carefully lifted off without a scratch on the plinth".

She said: "It was made by the owner's godmother Marcia Astor, the sculptor. Her signature and the foundry mark are on the statue."

She added: "The sculpture played a crucial part in their life and has been in the gardens for 23 years."

Forde Abbey has a 900-year history. Once a monastery, the house passed through a variety of owners, including 17th Century MP Edmund Prideaux (later Oliver Cromwell's Attorney General), and philosopher Jeremy Bentham.

The estate was also used as a location for the Robert Downey Jr. film Restoration, and the 2015 version of Far From the Madding Crowd.