53% of public support sending Elgin Marbles back to Greece

Decisions relating to the care and management of its collections are a matter for the museum’s trustees Department for Culture spokesman

- Robert Dex Arts Correspondent

MORE than half the country would support the British Museum returning the Elgin Marbles to Greece, according to a new poll.

It comes as the long-running row over the 17 sculptures and part of a frieze that decorated the 2,500-year-old Parthenon temple at the Acropolis in Athens appears to be inching towards a potential deal. The marbles, also known as the Parthenon Sculptures, were taken by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century when he was the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire and the museum has faced almost constant demands for their return.