A small cast-iron statue has been stolen from outside the Eldon House Heritage Site and Gardens. Staff noticed the statue was missing on Monday.
Tara Wittmann, Eldon House curator, said in a statement, "It is my hope that the statue will be returned to us again, as it has given pleasure to thousands of visitors and it is a valued and significant artifact."
The sculpture is described as a copy of a renaissance fountain representing a winged male cherub holding a dolphin. It is 72 centimetres tall and 42 centimetres wide.
Donated to Eldon House in 1984 by Lucy Little as a commemoration of the construction of the building by her great-great grandfather John Harris in 1834, it stands in an outdoor fishpond.
It's not the first time the little angel has gone missing.
In October 1985 the statue was stolen by a group of engineering students, but was eventually returned to the museum.
Wittmann added, "If it has been taken as a prank or for its scrap value, it would be a terrible shame...I send a heartfelt plea to anyone who knows about the statue's disappearance to contact Eldon House or the London police force with information."
Eldon House can be reached at 619-661-5169 or at: eldonhouse.ca
