Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is asking the public for help after a heritage crime occurred at Kilwinning Abbey in Ayrshire.
A 13th-century pier, which supports the arched entrance to the abbey’s southwest tower, was damaged. One of the lower sections of the pier has been completely destroyed, and the stone remains at the scene. HES is working with Police Scotland to investigate this incident.
To prevent further damage, a new stone will be cut and installed using templates from neighbouring stones.
Gillian Gardner, Physical Security Senior Manager at HES, said: “This is the worst case of heritage crime I have seen in a long time. It is heart-breaking to see historic fabric destroyed in this manner.”
“As highlighted in our recent campaign with CrimeStoppers and Police Scotland, heritage crime is a serious matter which damages our historic sites and robs us of our history. Reckless acts such as this one carry the risk of serious injury to both the perpetrator and anyone else on-site. Not only is it dangerous, but this kind of vandalism has a knock-on effect on all of our sites, as our conservation specialists are pulled away from their core conservation work on other monuments to tend to these incidents.”
“We urge anyone with information regarding this incident that could help investigations to get in touch with Police Scotland on 101; or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or crimestoppers-uk.org.”
