KCC Sell Asset Valued At Over £800k For Undisclosed Sum

Until recently, 'Two Stones' by Antony Gormley stood outside the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone — a unique, two-part bronze and granite sculpture that was the artist's very first professional commission. It has been sold. 

Quietly. 

For an amount Kent County Council refuses to disclose.

At the full KCC Council Meeting on 21 May 2026, Cllr Geoffrey Samme put a formal question to the Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services, asking for the rationale behind the sale and the price achieved. 

The council confirmed it sold the work back to Gormley himself as part of its response to "significant financial pressures facing local authorities."

“We are unable to disclose the costs related to the sale as this information is part of a confidential legal agreement that the council has entered into with the purchaser.”  — KCC Cabinet Member's official response

The council argues that returning the work to the artist ensures its "continued care" and "potential for future public exhibition." But these reassurances sit uneasily alongside a near-total lack of transparency about a transaction involving a publicly owned heritage asset.

Key Facts

• 'Two Stones' was Antony Gormley's first professional commission — now one of the world's most celebrated sculptors.

• KCC's own 2024/25 financial statements (Page 82) valued it at £859,000.

• The work comprises two inextricably linked parts: a granite stone and a hollow bronze facsimile — representing "the old and the new, sitting side by side in harmony."

• The sale price has been withheld under a confidential legal agreement. Residents cannot know what their asset was sold for.

Cllr Samme believes this sets a troubling precedent. Public bodies hold heritage assets in trust for the communities they serve. Selling them under a veil of commercial confidentiality — with no scrutiny, no public debate, and no disclosed return — undermines the accountability that democratic governance demands.

Cllr Samme is continuing to push for a full and transparent answer, and is investigating options for residents to add their voice.

Link to Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TgMghCMVMDo