EXPERTS say a remarkable marble ring of statues at Powis Castle dates back to Roman times. A National Trust investigation has finally resolved a debate over how old the artworks at the castle are. It was thought they were either sculpted in Roman times 2,000 years ago, or copied in the 18th century. Experts now say the statues at the castle, where TV weather girl Siân Lloyd plans to tie the knot with MP Lembit Opik in October, are a combination of both. A statue of Demeter, Greek goddess of agriculture and fertility set upon a funeral altar, is a genuine Roman sculpture dating back to the late 1st century AD. But two others - a young boy holding a bird and a toga-clad man - were actually crafted from Roman fragments in the 18th century, reflecting fashions and tastes of the time. Tell-tale signs such as long hair were added by sculptor Cavaceppi, who laboured tirelessly to satisfy the neoclassical obsession with all things Greek and Roman. "We have long suspected their true origins," said Margaret Gray of Powis Castle, part of the National Trust's 'Spring Clean' mission to return statues to their former glory. "However this investigation has allowed a closer look to reveal the definitive results for the first time." Neo-classical sculpture was often aged to look Roman by applying acid to weather the surface and breaking up the statues before re-building them. Andreas Kropp from the Institute of Archeology in Oxford, who worked on the Cliveden Conservation project, said the signs were there but needed deciphering by experts. "The smiling expression of one boy was peculiar, because the overwhelming majority of Roman figures of children were used as funerary monuments," he said. "In another, there is a very strange ensemble of ancient pieces - Eros has an ancient body, a modern neck and the head of a girl which has been subtely changed to look like the face of Eros. "Its an exciting discovery." Visitors to the castle, which re-opens on March 21 alongside other national historic houses, are invited to spot the difference for themselves. The detective trail involves looking for 18th century tell-tale signs such as whether the feet are parallel instead of spaced apart at an angle. Neo-classical collectors also preferred the romantic or knowing smile, as opposed to the funereal grimace sported by Roman pieces. The next stage of the ongoing conservation project will be to restore the collection to its former glory, when it first came into the hands of the Earl of Powis and Lord Robert Clive around 1750. * Powis Castle and Garden, near Welshpool, is open daily from March 21 to October 30, except Tuesdays and Wednesdays | 
