nearly two hundred years old.

The wreckers smashed a wall and fence leading to the National Trust-owned Springfield in two separate night-time attacks.

The Trust is now counting the cost of the damage at the Sandys Parish house which is expected to total hundreds of dollars.

Former National Trust president Mr. Andrew Trimingham was on the scene yesterday after a passer-by reported the vandalism.

Mr. Trimingham explained what had been damaged. He said: "We have a traditional form of wall that is a low wall with pillars along it. Between them runs a picket fence.

"It has been expensive to keep up, with painting and replacing rotten wood.

It is one of the things that the National Trust likes to preserve and this is a particularly nice one running along the path from the road to Springfield.'' Mr. Trimingham said that the wall was one of only six remaining in the Island, and it illustrated a common feature of Bermuda in the early 19th Century.

He believes the wall probably dates back to the new part of the house which was built in 1810-20. The rest of Springfield was built about a century earlier.

Mr. Trimingham said: "We spoke to a lady who regularly walks along there. She said that it happened over two nights. They obviously did it the first night and thought it was so much fun that they returned to do some more damage.

"It really is a lot of damage. They have pulled two of the pillars down onto the path. The wooden picket fencing has also been pulled down. It can be repaired but it will be a very expensive operation.'' Springfield was hit by vandals last year. Graffiti was painted on one of the sides of the historic building.

The building has not been used since the Somerset Library closed during the summer.

SMASHED HISTORY -- Vandals have smashed a 100-year-old wall and fence at National Trust property Springfield in Sandys Parish.