Woke to find mural being removed
A MAN living close to the site of the Banksy mural in Nottingham said he was woken by the sounds of workmen removing the wall.
Dan Golstein, who lives in Rothesay Avenue, near Ilkeston Road, said: “I was woken up around, I would say, 6.15am ...by some seriously loud noise.
“Being similar to noise I had heard yesterday morning, but had let slide, I came out to see what had happened.
“There was a white van parked here and maybe four workers, one guy holding up a piece of wood like a frame.
“When I asked him what was happening, he said the Banksy was being taken down for restoration.
“He confirmed that this was under the authority of the owners not sure if that is of the mural itself or the building, but I assume the building.
“Being a little miffed about the noise I called 101 to file a noise complaint, and the operator told me there had been an officer on duty here within 10 to 20 minutes prior to my call.
“They confirmed all the work was above board and had been approved.”
The artwork has attracted crowds of people from all over the region and further afield, with many excited by the original artwork.
It has not been without its issues, however, having been targeted by more graffiti covering the artwork and elements of the installation being taken away.
On Wednesday morning, pictures emerged on social media of a blank space of wall where the artwork once was.
Speaking about when the artwork first appeared, Mr Golstein said: “We’re only a few doors down and I was told back in October one morning, there was a Banksy outside.
“And we were all saying ‘no way’ thinking it wasn’t real.
“But we ran out as did many other people and since then there has always been someone taking pictures.
“For that first week it was like a carnival with all these people coming down the street constantly.
“It was very exciting and it’s sad to see it’s gone now.”