A 500-year farmhouse in Kent, England, featuring a Banksy mural, was demolished by local authorities on Tuesday.
Artist Banksy himself posted an Instagram post on Wednesday detailing the incident. Titled ‘Morning Is Broken’, the mural depicts a young boy, with a cat on his side, in a pose that seems like opening curtains (which in fact were crumpled iron sheets). The site of the mural was Blacksole Farmhouse in the town of Herne Bay in Kent, England. It is not clear when Banksy created the mural.
The farmhouse was built in 1529 and has stood ever since. However, over the years with no resident and no caretaker, the house was reduced to a dilapidated condition. Last year, local authorities approved the demolishing of the house. Kitewood, the property development firm which currently owns it, plans to build 67 new homes at the site.
The authorities seemed to be unaware of the mural’s origins until the artist’s post about it went viral. George Caudwell, the contractor who oversaw the demolishing, said: “We had no idea it was a Banksy. It made me feel sick realising it was a Banksy—we were gutted. We started demolishing it yesterday. The landowner watched us do it and didn’t know either.” However, Banksy didn’t indicate any complaints regarding the demolition in his post.
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Banksy murals are frequent subjects of both thefts and destruction. Last month, his mural in Margate was destroyed. Titled ‘Valentine’s Day Mascara’, the mural depicted a victim of domestic violence striking back against her husband.
