Cambridge's Antique Streetlamps Mysteriously Disappear, Police Call for Tips on Thieves

A bizarre theft case recently occurred in Cambridge, UK. According to The Times on the 11th, several historic streetlamps in Cambridge city center were stolen in recent days. The local police have appealed to residents for clues about the thieves.

The thefts took place between September and October, targeting streetlamps located on streets outside several well-known museums and churches in the city center. These streetlamps were designed by renowned British architect Richardson in the 1950s and are the only remaining custom-made post-WWII streetlamps still in use in the UK, with fewer than 50 still in existence (as shown in the image). The UK's heritage organization has classified the incident as a “cultural heritage crime."

The peculiar aspects of this theft are how the thieves managed to steal the tall and heavy streetlamps without risking electrocution and why they targeted these lamps in the first place. Historian Cornwell noted that these lamps are mounted on nearly 4-meter-high posts and are extremely heavy, requiring a lift and at least two people to remove them. They hold little economic value for thieves and are unlikely to be traded within collector circles, as “no one would dare touch them.” He speculates that the thieves might intend to install the stolen lamps in their own yards.

Additionally, some locals believe this could be a “student prank.” Similar incidents have occurred before—in 1958, a car was placed on the roof of Cambridge University's Senate House by a group of students. 

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剑桥古董路灯不翼而飞，英国警方呼吁居民提供窃贼线索

英国剑桥最近发生一件奇怪的盗窃案。据英国《泰晤士报》11日报道，剑桥市中心几盏历史悠久的路灯近日被人盗走，当地警方已呼吁居民提供关于窃贼的线索。

盗窃事件发生在9月至10月间，失窃的路灯位于市中心几盏知名博物馆和教堂外的街道上。这些路灯由英国着名建筑师理查德森在上世纪50年代设计，是全英目前唯一仍在使用的二战后定制路灯，现存不到50盏（如图）。英国历史遗产机构表示，这是一起“文化遗产犯罪”。

这起盗窃事件的奇怪之处在于：窃贼是通过何种方式把又高又沉的路灯在不触电的情况下偷走的，以及窃贼为什么会去偷路灯。历史学家科恩威尔表示，这些灯“安装在近4米高的灯柱上，非常重，搬走它需要一台升降机和至少2个人”，它们对盗贼来说没什么经济价值，收藏圈也“没人敢碰”这个。他认为，窃贼很可能会把这些偷走的灯具装在自家的院子。

此外，有当地人认为，这可能是“学生的恶作剧”。这种事之前就发生过，1958年，一辆车被一群学生放到了剑桥大学评议会大楼的屋顶。

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Jiànqiáo gǔdǒng lùdēng bù yì ér fēi, yīngguó jǐngfāng hūyù jūmín tígōng qièzéi xiànsuǒ

Yīngguó jiànqiáo zuìjìn fāshēng yī jiàn qíguài de dàoqiè àn. Jù yīngguó “tàiwùshì bào”11 rì bàodào, jiànqiáo shì zhōngxīn jǐ zhǎn lìshǐ yōujiǔ de lùdēng jìnrì bèi rén dào zǒu, dāngdì jǐngfāng yǐ hūyù jūmín tígōng guānyú qièzéi de xiànsuǒ.

Dàoqiè shìjiàn fāshēng zài 9 yuè zhì 10 yuè jiān, shīqiè de lùdēng wèiyú shì zhōngxīn jǐ zhǎn zhīmíng bówùguǎn hé jiàotáng wài de jiēdào shàng. Zhèxiē lùdēng yóu yīngguózhe míng jiànzhú shī lǐ chá dé sēn zài shàng shìjì 50 niándài shèjì, shì quán yīng mùqián wéiyī réng zài shǐyòng de èrzhàn hòu dìngzhì lùdēng, xiàncún bù dào 50 zhǎn (rú tú). Yīngguó lìshǐ yíchǎn jīgòu biǎoshì, zhè shì yīqǐ “wénhuà yíchǎn fànzuì”.

Zhè qǐ dàoqiè shìjiàn de qíguài zhī chù zàiyú: Qièzéi shì tōngguò hé zhǒng fāngshì bǎ yòu gāo yòu chén de lùdēng zài bù chùdiàn de qíngkuàng xià tōu zǒu de, yǐjí qièzéi wèishéme huì qù tōu lùdēng. Lìshǐ xué jiā kē'ēn wēi ěr biǎoshì, zhèxiē dēng “ānzhuāng zài jìn 4 mǐ gāo de dēng zhù shàng, fēicháng zhòng, bān zǒu tā xūyào yī tái shēngjiàngjī hé zhìshǎo 2 gèrén”, tāmen duì dàozéi lái shuō méishénme jīngjì jiàzhí, shōucáng quān yě “méi rén gǎn pèng” zhège. Tā rènwéi, qièzéi hěn kěnéng huì bǎ zhèxiē tōu zǒu de dēngjù zhuāng zài zìjiā de yuànzǐ.

Cǐwài, yǒu dāngdì rén rènwéi, zhè kěnéng shì “xuéshēng de èzuòjù”. Zhè zhǒng shì zhīqián jiù fāshēngguò,1958 nián, yī liàng chē bèi yīqún xuéshēng fàng dàole jiànqiáo dàxué píngyì huì dàlóu de wūdǐng.