A reward is being offered for information leading to the return of thousands of pounds’ worth of historic York flagstones which have been stolen from the Hopwood Hall Estate in Middleton.
Around 50 flagstones were been taken from the 12th century manor’s rose garden earlier this month (1 December) – a heritage crime which carries harsher sentencing due to the impact of damage or vandalism to national heritage assets such as listed buildings like Hopwood Hall.
The guidelines came into place in October 2019, and is the first time English and Welsh courts can take the damage caused into account during sentencing.
The theft of the stones, which date back centuries, as the ‘Friends of Hopwood Hall Estate’ have been working diligently to clear and prepare the historic family gardens and surrounding areas for renovation.
An investigation is underway and no arrests have yet been made.