A grievous incident occurred in the early hours of 2 October 2017. This act so shocked the town of Calne that a nationwide media campaign was immediately undertaken.
For many places, the theft of a sculpture may not have caused much of a fuss. However, Calne, even while it is a growing town, is still a close-knit community.
The sculpture, known as 'Two Pigs' has been around for many decades, so what was the end goal with this theft?
Let us begin with a brief
history of Calne's earliest, and perhaps most beloved, piece of public art.
The origin of this tale
begins with local artist, Richard Cowdy and his purchase of the old Guthrie
school in 1973. After developing a foundry at the site, Cowdy became known as a
sculptor of farm animals.
Outside of The White Horse pub, now Coral bookmakers at Phelps Parade, a planter had been constructed. Each time a tree had been planted, it had been destroyed by the rowdy clientele, with the planter filled with broken glass and rubbish. In 1978, Cowdy was approached by Dr Arnold Hare, chairman of Calne Civic Society with a proposal for a sculpture to replace the tree and resolve the litter issue.
In 1978, Cowdy was approached by Dr Arnold Hare, chairman of Calne Civic Society with a proposal for a sculpture outside of
Cowdy cast a small
version two pigs in bronze as a visual cue for the proposal.
While residents, both
adults and children alike, enjoy the sculpture - a permanent reminder of
Calne's long association with the Harris bacon company, in its many forms -
this wasn't always the case.
The sculpture required
consent the of Calne Town Council before it could be installed. One particular
councillor was strongly against the sculpture, fearing that young children
would be attracted to it and run over by vehicles. It's safe to say that as a
town we are fortunate that this councillor was unable to make the final
meeting. She had the flu and the sculpture was voted through by just one vote!
The final design, known as 'Two Pigs', installed in July 1979 and unveiled by Lady Lansdowne,
resolved the litter problem and is a vandal-proof sculpture. Or so we all
thought...
2 minutes and 45 seconds.
This is the time it took on that fateful night in 2017 for the sculpture to be
wrenched off the plinth that they'd adorned for 38 years.
The town awoke to the
news on the 2 October 2017 that the sculpture had been stolen. It was
impossible to avoid the news, it was, thankfully, everywhere.
Due to such good news
coverage, the owner of Ronson Reclaim, a reclamation yard in
Gloucestershire, called the police to report that he had purchased the pigs
before realising the sculpture was the one stolen from Calne.
On the 6 October, the two pigs were picked
up by Calne Town Council. Work on the plinth commenced soon after by Calne
Council Ground Staff who upgraded the method of fixing the statue to the
plinth. The base of the statue was repaired by Andy Blackford of Blackford
Engineering free of charge.
The afternoon of 10
November saw the Calne Pig sculpture was back in place. Marketed as the 'Pig Unveiling', the sculpture was unveiled by Tony
Trotman, Mayor of Calne, at 4pm, with Richard Cowdy in attendance. The
unveiling was completed with masses of applause and the pigs were climbed upon
my multitudes of children, as they had been innumerable times in the
past. This presentation also featured a specially written piece of music
performed by Calne Folk and Acoustic Group after the speech by the Mayor.
It would seem that the
lads involved through that the sculpture was solid bronze. Such a
sculpture would have been worth a pretty penny. However, the sculpture is
hollow.
What of the lads that were involved? PSCO Mark
Cook, of the Calne Community Policing Team was involved in the case and won
the Assistant Chief Constable’s Certificate of Recognition for his initial
investigative work into the theft. PSCO Cook provided an update of the police
outcomes in this case.
While four males were believed to be involved in
the theft, two were let off without further police action after questioning as
there was not enough evidence to confirm involvement.
The other two, from the Swindon area, attended
court. One received a fine of £433, the other £283 (and ordered further
compensation of £67), both included court costs and compensation.
The theft of the pigs not only reignited the
passion for this and other sculptures in town, but seems to have reignited a
passion for public art in the town. Many ceramics and murals have been designed
and installed in the years following this petty criminal act.
