Over 600 priceless artefacts, including Indian items, stolen from Bristol Museum: Here’s what was taken

Over 600 priceless artefacts, including Indian treasures, stolen from Bristol Museum: Here's list of items revealed

More than 600 high-value artefacts, including items from India dating back to the British colonial era, were stolen in a burglary at a Bristol museum storage facility on September 25, Avon and Somerset Police said on Thursday.

The items were taken from the British Empire and Commonwealth collection housed in the Cumberland Basin area between 1 am and 2 am. CCTV footage released this week shows four white male suspects believed to be involved in the theft.

Detective Constable Dan Burgan said, “The theft of many items which carry a significant cultural value is a significant loss for the city.” He added that many stolen objects were donations and part of a collection that provides insight into Britain’s historical ties with its former colonies.

“The majority of the collection was previously held by the former British Empire & Commonwealth Museum in Bristol,” Burgan noted. Police have conducted extensive CCTV reviews, forensic investigations, and liaison with victims, and are appealing to the public to help identify the suspects or report sightings of the stolen artefacts online.

The Bristol Museum stated that its British Empire and Commonwealth collection comprises household items, photographs, personal souvenirs, and papers from British citizens who lived or worked in the colonies. The collection is designed to provide insight into the functioning of the British Empire and the lives of those connected to it.

Authorities have not explained why the appeal is being made more than two months after the burglary.

• Ivory Buddha on a stone base carved with seven snake heads
• Waist belt buckle of an East India Company officer, inscribed “Auspicio Regis et Senatus Angliae”
• Carved ivory elephant ornament
• 1838 US emancipation token promoting the abolition of slavery
• Painting of the Delhi Durbar of 1903, celebrating Edward VII as Emperor of India
• Over 250 letters from British soldier Joseph Stephens, posted on the North West Frontier
• Photographs by Mumbai-born Victor Veevers, an Indian Railways poster artist in the 1930s
• Various military artefacts, jewellery, silver items, and bronze figurines Geological specimens

The museum emphasized the cultural and historical significance of the stolen items and encouraged anyone with information to come forward to assist in recovering the artefacts.