Bohemia Village Voice

Stolen from the Museum: a beautiful enamelled copper Nargileh bowl, from the Qajar period, Iran, 19th Century.

Burglars got away with £50,000 worth of antique exhibits from Bohemia Road’s Hastings Museum in a raid on 28/29th April. The thieves gained access to the museum through a door in the roof between 5.15 pm on Monday 28th and 8 am the following morning, and stole the items from the first floor of the Durbar Hall. They include a lacquered gold elephant tusk vase from Japan, a 19th century enamelled copper Nargileh bowl [see picture], and a Turkish Iznik plate.
The 32 artefacts were mostly of silver, glass, and ceramic, and date back as far as the 17th century. Initially it was thought that 33 items were missing, but one was later discovered inside another.
The museum was closed for two days while police collected evidence, and to secure the building. Security has been increased generally since the raid.
Curator Victoria Williams said she was not allowed to give the press any details of the robbery. She added, “I felt sad that anyone should want to steal from the town – these objects belonged to the town. The items have been in the Museum for eighty years. They are mostly connected with the Brassey family, so they were part of the town’s history.”
Borough council spokes-man Kevin Boorman said, “A lot of care was taken to choose items of value, and we think they will be sold on. If any antique dealers are offered anything they suspect is stolen, they should contact the police.
“It’s very sad that visitors to the town’s museum will not be able to see these items, which are of international repute and part of Hastings’ heritage.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the police on 0845 60 70 999 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. The investigating officer is PC Flack.