Residents asked to help in search for civic chain
The Mayor of St Albans, Cllr Iqbal Zia, is asking local residents to keep an eye open for a chain that forms part of the Mayoral regalia. The chain, which is usually worn by the Mayor’s consort on official business, was found to be missing while the Mayoral couple was officiating at events last week.
Cllr Zia said: “We don’t know exactly when this chain went missing, nor the circumstances of its disappearance. Indeed, we are still hoping that it will turn up and we have been retracing our footsteps over the last few days in the hope of finding it.
“We had a busy week, with a Bollywood Charity Ball in St Albans, an event for Electric Bike day at Verulamium Park and a Civic Service in Harpenden. It was as we were preparing for an event for HMS St Albans, that my wife and I realized that the chain wasn’t where we expected it to be. We don’t know if it has been taken, or whether it has been misplaced. We had an incident at our house on Wednesday when our alarm was triggered and the police were called to the property. At the time, it didn’t look like anything was out of place, but we can’t help wondering now whether the chain was taken then. We simply don’t know.
“We are heartbroken about the loss and very sorry that this has happened. I am appealing to everyone, as Mayor of the City and District of St Albans, to please keep an eye out for the missing chain, and contact the Mayoral office, or the Police, if you have any information about its whereabouts.”
The piece dates from 1907. It consists of an 18 carat gold, shield-shaped body mounted with the enameled Arms of the City. It was presented to the, then, Corporation in 1936. An inscription on the back reads ‘presented to the corporation of St Albans for the use of the mayoress by Mrs W. S. Green, 1936’. An original silk cord was replaced by a gold chain at a later date. It has an estimated insurance value of around £3,000.
Anyone with information about the missing chain is asked to contact the Mayor’s Office (mayoralty@stalbans.gov.uk ; 01727 819544) or the Police Non-Emergency number, 101 (for the attention of the Safer Neighbourhood Team).
Media Contact
Claire Wainwright, Executive and Communications Manager, St Albans City and District Council, Tel: 01727 819572, Email: claire.wainwright@stalbans.gov.uk