A GARDEN bench custom-made for a large country house more than 80 years ago has been smashed by vandals.

The wooden seat has been a feature of the main floral avenue at St Nicholas, on the outskirts of Richmond, since the early 1920s, when the then owner, Robert James, had a design he had seen at another estate copied.

Keith Schellenberg, who has owned St Nicholas with his wife, Jilly, since 2001, was dismayed to find the bench in pieces.

"This was an exceptional piece of garden furniture, which I had carefully tried to preserve, and it has been smashed up - and for what conceivable reason?" he said.

The vandalism, which was reported to the police, is believed to have happened one evening last week when Karen Foster, who works at St Nicholas and whose home overlooks the 50-acre garden, was away.

"It was a beautiful bench, wooden with carved scroll arms," she said. "Originally, it had to be brought in by crane because it was so heavy, so it is very sad to see it smashed."

Mr Schellenberg said the seat had been an attractive feature at the head of the main floral walkway in the garden, which is opened to the public several times a year for charity.

The house was founded as a Benedictine monastery in 1171 and has been in private ownership since the 16th Century.

Mr Schellenberg appealed for anyone with information about the attack to contact police on 0845-60-60-247.