Mystery stolen porcelain returns to grand Upton House

[dutchman]

Fans of Upton House, Warwickshire, are celebrating the return of valuable Sèvres porcelain stolen over 40 years ago from the National Trust property.



The items were stolen in 1968 and were spotted by chance at an auction house in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

The porcelain was due for auction on 7 September and was expected to reach a minimum of around £6,000.

Police investigated at the time of the theft, but say there is now no trail of evidence because of the elapsed time.

The investigation

An anonymous member of the public told curators in the National Trust about the items for sale and the Trust then used detailed descriptions and porcelain specialists to identify the pieces as those stolen from Upton House.

The former owner had passed away and the sale at the auction house was part of the disposal of the estate.

Police Staff Investigator Steve Cox said: "Once satisfied that the last owner of the porcelain was not connected to the theft, Warwickshire Police put the vendor of the porcelain in contact with the National Trust.

"We hope this reflects our commitment to investigating any crime, no matter how old, when presented with new information."

Julie Smith, property manager for Upton House & Gardens, said: "We are delighted that the porcelain has returned home after so many years away."

Shell Collection



The items are part of the Sèvres porcelain collection and includes a blue lapis cup, saucer and sucrier and a Solitaire set comprising tray, cup and saucer plus covered sugar basin.

The contents of Upton House were collected by the 2nd Lord Bearsted in the 1920s and 1930s during his time as chairman of Shell Oil.