Centuries-old sculpture found covered with blue crayon

A 200-year-old statue of the water nymph Sabrina has been vandalised in England after children were given crayons.

The damaged sculpture in Worcestershire, western England, was first discovered covered with blue crayon on Easter Saturday, British conservation charity the National Trust said in a statement.

It came after crayons were included in activity packs given to families over Easter at the historic Croome estate, the BBC reports.

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"We are dismayed that this has happened," the National Trust spokesperson said.

"Disappointing as they are, incidents like this are very rare considering the millions of visitors who enjoy and respect the places in our care."

After taking advice from conservators and cleaning the statue, the National Trust was able to remove the crayon, the statement added.

A memorial to landscape designer and architect Lancelot "Capability" Brown, also situated in the grounds of the Croome estate, was similarly vandalised with blue crayon and the National Trust said it is still in the process of cleaning it.

Designed by renowned British sculptor John Bacon in the early 1770s, the statue of Sabrina is carved from Coade stone and sits in a grotto that was originally decorated with exotic shells, coral and gems, beside an artificial serpentine lake 1.5 miles long.

The date of the sculpture's manufacture is disputed, although it is believed to be either mid-1780s or 1802, according to the National Trust.

The Croome estate, where both monuments were vandalised, was owned by the Coventry family from the 16th century until 1948. It has served many functions beyond being a private house, becoming a secret airbase in World War II and the Hare Krishna UK headquarters in 1979.

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Although it is unusual for historic monuments to be defaced, it is not unprecedented.

Plymouth Rock, where tradition says the Pilgrim Fathers first stepped foot in the United States after disembarking the Mayflower, was vandalised with graffiti in February 2020 along with other statues and monuments in Plymouth.

Meanwhile, seven people were arrested after the iconic "Bean" sculpture in Chicago's Millennium Park was spray-painted with graffiti in July 2019.

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