Two arrested over statue thefts from stately home used as backdrop for David Attenborough's Wild Isles series

Two people have been arrested after several statues were stolen from a stately home that has been used as a location for David Attenborough's Wild Isles BBC series.

Unknown suspects broke into  Iford Manor, near Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, between Thursday night (19/06/25) into Friday morning and stole several items.

These included a statue of the She-Wolf with Romulus and Remus, including the bronze base. It is a bronze sculpture and central image in the founding myth of Rome. The original is housed in the Capitoline Museums in Rome.

Also stolen were a pair of symmetrical fawns, which are copies of the Villa Dei Papyri fawns.

The Villa dei Papiri was an ancient Roman villa in Herculaneum known for its collection of bronze sculptures, including the pair of elegant fawns, which were discovered in 1756.

Another notable loss was a Bust of Antinous, who was the favorite of the Roman emperor Hadrian.

The investigation has progressed significantly and we can report that two men have been arrested in connection with the incident.

A vehicle with a police marker was stopped by Avon and Somerset officers in the Bristol area on Thursday evening (26/06) and the occupants - a 31-year-old and a 39-year-old - were arrested.

They live outside of Wiltshire and have been released under conditional bail not to enter the county.

Detective Inspector Penny Andrews said: "We are continuing to appeal for anyone knows anything about the stolen items or who saw anything suspicious leading up to the incident to come forward with information.

"No matter how insignificant you may think the information may be, it could be vital to assist our ongoing investigation.

"We would also urge any antique dealers or auction houses to look out for the items.

"I'd like to thank our police colleagues in Avon and Somerset for their assistance in apprehending the two suspects.

"Please contact 101 quoting reference 54250075348, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, to report any information."