A portable writing desk once owned by George Eliot is still missing after being stolen from Nuneaton Museum and Art Gallery.
The 10 x 12in (25.5 x 30.5cm) secretaire,
made out of papier-mâché and decorated with mother-of-pearl, was
taken from a ground-floor gallery at the museum, where it had been
since 1917, between 11.15am and 5pm on Sunday, November 11.
It is thought that the desk was used by Mary
Anne Evans - who wrote under the name of George Eliot - when she
lived at Griff House (1820-41), a spacious farmhouse on the road
between Nuneaton and Coventry.
The museum believe it was specifically
targeted and possibly stolen to order. They say: "To gain access to
it, those responsible had to remove a display case. To add insult
to injury, it is believed that the theft took place soon after
thousands of members of the public had turned out to pay homage to
fallen soldiers at the Nuneaton Remembrance Parade which took place
only metres away from the scene of the crime."
Anyone with any information should call
Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Follow us on:
