Thank You for Supporting the Replacement of Limpsfield’s Stolen Horse Trough

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who generously contributed to our GoFundMe campaign to replace the stolen horse trough.

As announced at our annual parish meeting last night, the campaign has now officially closed. Thanks to the support of our community, a substantial donation from the Drinking Fountain Association, and confirmation from our insurers, we have successfully raised the funds needed to commission a faithful replica—complete with all original engravings—and to install it with enhanced security measures.
We are immensely grateful to our local residents for their kindness and solidarity, and to the BBC for helping to spread the word.

Sadly, heritage items like our horse trough are often stolen to order, and Limpsfield is not alone in experiencing such a loss. The trough held great historical and sentimental value, and it is deeply frustrating to think it may now sit, unrecognised and unappreciated, in someone’s private garden far from its rightful place.

If anyone has information about the original trough’s whereabouts, we would still love to recover it. But for now, we must assume it is lost. We hope the new replica, planned for installation this summer, will help restore some of what was taken—both physically from our village and emotionally from our hearts.

Thank you once again for your incredible support.

Our horse trough fundraising appeal made the BBC News!

As you will know, Limpsfield’s historic horse trough, once a landmark at Detillens Lane and the A25, was stolen in August 2024. Despite initial strong evidence, police have not been able to further pursue leads, and it sadly remains unrecovered. The Parish Council is now working to replace it with a high-quality replica.

This week, Craig Buchan and Paul Brennan of BBC Surrey/South East got behind our endeavours and ran a piece on BBC News South East and recorded an interview for the BBC Surrey breakfast show with James Cannon.

You can read the online article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3q0y0zx72o

Originally donated in 1913 by Alice and Horace Barry, the trough bore inscriptions from the Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association and had been part of daily life for well over a century.

Although insured, it is an incredibly specialist item and difficult to value and while our insurers are happy to pay out on the trough, the amount may not fully cover a quality replacement plus secure installation. The Council will be contributing, we have also had a generous offer of a donation from the Drinking Fountain Association, and we have launched an appeal for public donations to ensure we get the best replacement we can.

To help restore this piece of Limpsfield’s history, please go to: gofundme.com/f/replace-our-stolen-historic-horse-trough.