A TREE carving depicting characters from the fictional world of Narnia, which was damaged by vandals two months ago, has now been repaired.

In March, Headington householders and councillors were disgusted to find the recently completed CS Lewis-inspired wood carving at Bury Knowle Park had been trashed by yobs.

Trees had been cut down, plants hacked up and both Mr Tumnus and Mrs Beaver, who formed part of the wood carving created by artist Matt Cave, had been decapitated.

The carving, which includes a sculpture of Aslan the lion, is based on CS Lewis’s world of Narnia, in memory of the author who had a home in Risinghurst and is buried at Holy Trinity Church, Headington Quarry.

It was completed in January by Oxford wood sculptor Matt Cave, with help of a £12,000 grant from supermarket Tesco, paid for through the 5p carrier bag levy.

Staff from the parks department at Oxford City Council have now completed repairs to the scene, restoring the carving to its former glory.

Headington Quarry councillor Roz Smith said she was ‘delighted’ repairs had been completed and art work had been restored.

She said: “It is looking much better now and I am very pleased to see Mrs Beaver’s head back on again.

“It is not the original wood but it has been repaired. There are still people turning up to take photographs of it and it’s still very popular.

“Word is travelling fast with more and more people hearing about the Narnia carvings and wanting to see it.”

Rosemary Belton of the Friends of Bury Knowle said she too was pleased with the repairs and praised the work that had been done to restore the iconic scene.

She said: “It was a real shame when the vandalism happened because it had only been created a few months earlier at the start of the year.

“It is brilliant that it has been restored to its former glory now and has since been repaired.

“The carving has really grown in popularity since it was installed and lots of people have said that they really enjoy it.”

Asked if its surge in popularity meant it was fast becoming the new Headington Shark; already an icon for the area, she said: “I am biased towards the park of course so I would say yes.

“The association with CS Lewis gives it a real Headington feel so I think it really is a great thing for Headington.”