Police are being urged to investigate a graffiti attack on a grade II listed building in Brighton.
The damage to the historic almshouse terrace wall in Lewes Road could land the culprit with a six-month prison sentence.
Brighton and Hove City Council said that it was “investigating how a huge graffiti mural came to be painted on the side of a grade 2 listed building in Brighton”.
The council said: “The image appears on the end wall of the Percy and Wagner Almshouses in Lewes Road, dating back to 1795.
“It is thought to have been painted on or about (Monday) 8 January. The mural is signed with the Instagram handle @rainbowsnot.
“No permission was given by the property owner – a charitable trust – or the council as the body in charge of authorising changes to listed buildings.
“Planning enforcement officers say under the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act, altering or extending a listed building without council permission is a criminal offence.”
Offences under the act are punishable with up to six months in prison and a fine of up to £20,000.
The council has asked the chair of trustees, who is responsible for the almshouses, to repaint the wall within 14 days.
The council said: “The trust is equally dismayed at the image and have told officials the wall will be reinstated within this timeframe.
“The trust will have the option to consider civil action against the perpetrator for costs and damage to the property.
“Cleaning graffiti from private buildings is the responsibility of owners. However, the council can intervene to clean obscene or racist graffiti from any surface.”
Councillor Julie Cattell, who chairs the council’s Planning Committee, said: “This appears to be a case of damage to property on a grand scale which we would expect the police to look into with the support of the trust.
“It would be good if the person who painted it repaid the charity for the costs this will incur them.
“It’s a heartless thing to do to that lovely old terrace.
“We have established whoever did it had no permission from anyone despite claims to passers-by that they did.”
all in favour of decent artwork on walls around town – more people should commission. by the chap’s own words, he got plenty of queries whilst executing this: ‘Today in Elm grove…I had big ambitions for this piece, but got slowed down a lot due to unforeseen circumstances, so I wasn’t overjoyed with the result. Still, one up I always say! I got quite a bit of unwanted attention whilst trying to paint this. Police, council workers and disgruntled citizens all wanted a word today for some reason. Still managed to get it up despite the hiccups. Big thanks to my boy @jemil___ for coming along and helping me. He held it down when things got a bit hairy’- surely there was plenty of opportunity to curb his enthusiasm mid-spray? though this is far, far better than loathsome, indiscriminate, lousy tagging, quite why someone who does get commissions decides to illuminate a wall willy nilly i know not, other than, by his own previous admission, self-aggrandisement: ‘I consider this to be “real” graffiti simply because it doesn’t come with a permission slip. Today like a fox, I saw my opportunity and used my cunning tactics to get what I wanted. I must of got asked by at least 30 Royal Mail workers whilst painting if I had permission. I slyly reply “yeh course I have” with a zoot in my mouth and a cheeky smile on my face. Love me or hate me, I’m gonna paint where I want. A fox don’t ask permission, he just takes.’
if so, then you should be prepared to give, too, and pay for its removal when it’s not wanted. maybe he should’ve heeded the comments at the time of execution…
Just another dog cocking his leg….
Did you see the state of the wall before he painted it? I walk past that to work everyday. It was covered in horrid, unsightly tags that had been there for months and no one had batted an eyelid or bothered to clean it. This looks like an improvement to me, how you people can say he damaged it is beyond me. Must of been a slow news day today because this story is ridiculous.
What’s the painting of? Can’t find a photo anywhere on line.
It’s about time there was a back-lash against arrogant “streer artists” who just don’t give a damn that many think they are destroying our city. I spoke to a guy who was spraying the usual splurge on Victorian brickwork and he said aggressively “if you don’t like it don’t look at it mate”. I replied that I don’t get any choice. I would be chuffed to see some well publicised prosecutions, and us public should take the Indiative and clean it off or paint it over as soon as it goes up.
The removal cost is going to hurt the Charity that runs the Almshouses. Well done you have damaged and hurt the future works that would help these people. How great is that harming others?
I walked past this and thought it was a lot better than the crap tags that keep popping up in hanover. They are all over private property and not once have I seen an article in the paper that the police are doing something about it. If your going to arrest someone, arrest them for crimes against art.
I’m not surprised he’s never been arrested; who would want to listen the that rant!
shouldnt be too hard to find – ranting all over social media and bragging about other pieces done ilegally… nice.
It’s big enough yet no one noticed???
Says a lot about the Police’s presence around Brighton?
Unfortunately the Police do nothing about graffiti and the council only clean it off council property, so the city is gradually drowning under a sea of aspiring street artists doodles. They have their own selfish agenda and don’t give a monkeys that other people want to live in an un-vandalised environment.
Time people started photographing these fake artists screaming for attention with their incredibly unoriginal formulaic tagging graffiti and then providing the photos to the media and the police and the council. Evidence for prosecutions. Really getting very depressing.
it looks great. let’s have hundreds more.
Brighton hasn’t ever been a place for old dull conservatives
The guy bigging himself up like he’s an ‘artist’, no mate, you’re a vandal
Had to smile saw them doing it was 2 lads in broad daylight loads of people walking past looking or staring but nobody challenged them or said anything in the whole 10min I was waiting for my bus and from the small section they did in 10min it must have taken a couple of hours 😂
The council should be ashamed of horrible bins in this so called listed area. The bins attract fly tipping and other anti social behaviour such as graffiti.
nice one , sly fox!!! pompous council complainers and fake social housing “providers” notwithstanding…
All things under the sun come to fall eventually.
People love old buildings because of the style of the architecture. I’m a huge fan of historic architecture, yet the cities I get the most buzz from are those that mix the old with the modern. That shows culture, development, history and a story of how the times change.
Graffiti/street art is an expression of anti-establishment. Historians would see that as key information to define the times we’re living in, in future years. Seeing some old houses from times past is a false representation.
This is done on the side of the property, where others have said it looked tasteless and messy before. I say keep the art. It’s more valuable than any alternative.
there is a planning application still (August 2017) waiting to be decided (see BH2017/02643 Re-covering of roof, repair works to chimney stacks and associated works) : they might as well sort out the alleged offensive mural at the same time as they do the roof works ect then…. indeed, one could imagine a conspiracy by sly fox being paid (by who?) to do the mural so that the council speed up its planning application….. blimy! there are 12 flats squeezed into the 6 ex-Almshouses … the blank flank north facing wall is crying out for a mural or even a groovy advert. (which could pay dividends to the tenants/lease-holders) …
Great fan of professional graffiti art in the right place, but this is unwanted criminal damage on one the oldest listed buildings in Hanover. It’s not even professional, just insignificant amateur doodling. The two men who did this should be utterly ashamed of doing such a crap mural with a clear lack of any artistic skill. Get a jotta pad and doodle in there. Oh and be big enough to go back and paint it out, and if you want to provide a community benefit, paint all the tags out too!!!
I think it looks fine . Brightons own banksy
If anyone out there is willing to spring the £39.99 for a 10L tin of masonry paint, I will cover it up for free.
It just goes to show, you can’t be too careful!
he painted over tags and scrawl and actually made the wall look better.
heres the best bit, now this wall has hit the media it doesnt matter what colour you paint that wall it will be smashed everytime its painted clean. good job on designating another graffiti wall