Revolving metal cube on show in town is wrecked in apparent accident

Part-time artist and life coach Henry Johnstone, who lives just outside Holt, spend three months and £3,000 of his own money creating the sculpture, which he called 'Something beautiful is on the horizon'.

The cube, which rotated slowly atop a steel base, was installed about two weeks ago in Holt's Appleyard courtyard, next to the Barn Cafe-Bistro.

But the cafe's owner broke the news to Mr Johnstone on Wednesday morning that the cube had been knocked off its perch sometime time overnight.

Mr Johnstone said: 'It had come off and it was lying rather pathetically on the floor. I wasn't angry but I was really disappointed.

Henry Johnstone, from Holt, whose artwork 'Something beautiful is on the horizon' was wrecked. Pictue: COURTESY OF HENRY JOHNSTONE (Image: Archant)

'I do something for the Holt Festival each year because I love art and I love Norfolk, and I want to do something free for Holt.'

After first suspecting vandalism, Mr Johnstone said he learned through a community Facebook page that the damage was unintentional.

He said: 'I posted about it on the Holt Community Noticeboard and someone did come forward and said they had probably contributed to it. I think what happened was that someone climbed up on it and swung off it, and acted irresponsibly to it.

'Then the person who came forward later went up to it gave it a spin, which caused it to come off. That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

The revolving artwork 'Something beautiful is on the horizon' was wrecked. It was made by Henry Johnstone, from Holt. Pictue: COURTESY OF HENRY JOHNSTONE (Image: Archant)

'It's a shame but I think if I'm going to put something shinny and spinny near a pub [the courtyard is close to the King's Head] then it's going to get spun.'

Mr Johnstone said the person involved even offered him money to pay for repairs, but he said he had decided not to reinstate the sculpture. He said: 'I can't afford to have it happen again.'

He said the cube was made of hand-cut panels which each took two days to make.

'It's really intense, intricate handmade work.'

Mr Johnstone said he had received an outpouring of support over social media since the incident.

He said because the damage appeared not to be malicious, he had not reported it to the police.

Mr Johnstone said anyone wanting to contact him could do so by emailing hjstephenartist@icloud.com.