Ebenezer Scrooge's gravestone smashed to pieces
· BBC NewsRichard Price
BBC News, West Midlands
A gravestone for Ebenezer Scrooge, left behind after the filming of a 1984 movie adaptation of A Christmas Carol, has been smashed.
The inscribed stone, used as a prop in the film, has lain in the graveyard next to St Chad’s Church, Shrewsbury, since the movie based on the Charles Dickens classic was released 40 years ago.
Town council clerk Helen Ball said she was notified on Sunday the gravestone had been damaged.
“We’re now left with a gravestone that’s in multiple pieces,” she added.
“I think it’s one of those things that’s very dear to everybody’s hearts,” she added.
She said the community had been united in its disgust regarding the vandalism, with many taking to Facebook to express their anger.
“It happened in a graveyard, and the disrespect that has been shown is evident,” she said.
The gravestone is seen in the film when Scrooge is confronted by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come and he wipes away snow to reveal his own name.
Much of the movie, directed by Clive Donner, was filmed in the Shropshire town.
George C Scott starred as Scrooge.
Ms Ball said the daughter of the gravestone’s creator had been in touch over the damage and had spoken about how upset her father was.
She added town council staff would be assessing whether it might be possible to repair the broken gravestone, provided all of its pieces remained on site.
'Christmas pilgrimage'
It is a popular tourist attraction in Shrewsbury, she said, and something people in the town were proud of.
“A lot of us go on a Christmas pilgrimage to see it, whenever we have any friends or family who come to stay we always make a point of taking them to it.”
The incident had been reported to police and the council was reviewing CCTV, Ms Ball said.
She added: “The person who did it may have a conscience and decide to own up.”
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