HAVE you seen this 19th century crane? This picture, taken in 2004 and sent in by 65-year-old Worcester News reader Bob Jones, shows the old industrial canalside crane in Diglis in all its former glory.

The crane hit the headlines recently after it was been stolen by thieves while being held in storage by a building firm.

It was seen as an important part of Worcester’s proud industrial past, and was due to be restored and returned to the canalside as a heritage monument, as part of the redevelopment of the Diglis waterfront. Mr Jones’ photograph captures the crane in-situ by the canalside where it stood for more than 150 years, having been used to load and unload barges.

“I believe it’s as old as the canal itself,” said Mr Jones, a semi-retired gas engineer and vintage car enthusiast who lives on Bath Road. “It was attached to the old building there, the one that used to be the cardboard box manufacturers. It was a decent bit of architecture, really, a nice old thing. It’s a real shame it’s gone.”

The crane was stolen from a lock-up, presumably for scrap, while being kept in storage by building firm Green Villa Developments.

Members of Worcester City Council’s planning committee accused the firm of “negligence” when the theft was revealed earlier in the autumn.

“Whoever took it would have needed a serious bit of machinery to take it away,” Mr Jones said. “You couldn’t have just picked it up and carried it away.”

The city council now wants Green Villa to pay for the construction of an exact replica of the crane to put back in its rightful place by the Diglis canal side.

Mr Jones said he understands an identical machine used to stand at Durrant’s Boat Yard at Diglis, and that a similar crane can currently be seen at Stourport Basin.

“The one at Stourport has been fully restored, apparently,” he said. “Our one would have looked pretty much the same – if it hadn’t been stolen, that is.”