Thieves broke into Southwark Cathedral and stole the bishop's ring and four gold chalices
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Thieves broke into historic Southwark Cathedral and stole the bishop's ring and four gold chalices. The items have a face value of pounds 16,000 but are said to be "priceless" to the church. Police believe the items may have been stolen to order.
The thieves broke into the cathedral in south London over Sunday night by smashing a Victorian stained glass window in the north choir aisle. They made their way through the vestry and into the part of the building where the items were in a glass display cabinet.
The cabinet was smashed with a fire extinguisher. No alarms were triggered as the burglars left and the theft was not discovered until yesterday morning.
The chalices were made in the 1950s and have an ornate design. The ring is made of gold and had a gold cross on it. It was made in 1905. Mr Mark Smith, one of the cathedral's vergers, said: "The chalices were used on some occasions. We will be able to manage without them. The thieves do not look very professional to me. The window and cabinet were smashed in and there was quite a mess."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments