Vandalised Banksy mural on Reading Gaol restored by street artist

The Banksy mural on the wall of Reading Gaol that was vandalised last month has been restored by another street artist.

‘Peachy’ has painted over the typewriter to make it look like Banksy’s work again after rival artist ‘Team Robbo’ defaced the mural with red paint.

The artwork, which depicts a man using bedsheets to escape, appeared on the side of the former jail overnight.

Dozens of locals gathered to see it for themselves on Monday 1st March, and even more when the artwork was a confirmed Banksy.

Some residents think it looks like poet and former inmate Oscar Wilde trying to escape the prison, formerly known as Reading Gaol, with a typewriter in his hand.

Banksy confirmed the artwork was his in an Instagram post, showing the process of creating what he’s called the ‘Create Escape’.

There have been recent calls for the Ministry of Justice to protect a painting. Credit: ITV News Meridian

There have been recent calls for the Ministry of Justice to protect a painting.

The former prison could be sold for redevelopment, meanwhile campaigners have been fighting to turn it into an arts and heritage hub instead. Locals believe Banksy has created the artwork to help with the campaign.

In March, a spokesman for Reading Borough Council said: “We are thrilled that Banksy appears to have thrown his support behind the Council’s desire to transform the vacant Reading Gaol into a beacon of arts, heritage and culture.”