'Blue plaque’ mysteriously appears next to iconic Bristol Banksy mural
It is unclear when the plaque was erected and who put it there
A ‘blue plaque’ has mysteriously appeared in Bristol next to an iconic mural by Bansky.
The plaque, in the style of an English Heritage blue plaque, is on the wall adjacent to Banksy’s Mild Mild West mural in Stokes Croft.
The plaque, which usually lists a historical figure’s occupation and where they lived, says Bansky is a ‘prankster’ who ‘lived here and there’.
The plaque appears above The Point Barbershop, on the wall round the corner from Banksy’s mural in front of Hamilton House.
But none of the workers at the barbershop, Hamilton House or The Canteen who BristolWorld spoke to were aware of the plaque’s existence.
“I think it’s cool, I’ve not noticed it before but it’s nice to see a blue plaque for a wider variety of cultural stuff,” was the opinion of one passer-by.
The 1999 Wild Mild West mural depicts a teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at three riot police.
It was painted in response to various unlicensed raves and parties held in abandoned warehouses around Bristol in the 1990s that drew attention from the police.
In Bristol, Bristol Civic Society is responsible for Bristol's 'official' blue plaques - but they say ‘there is nothing to stop any group or private individual sticking up a plaque (of any colour) on any building provided the owner agrees’.