READING Borough Council have commented on the future of the new and loved Banksy artwork, as residents queue down the street to take photos with it.
The graffiti work, which Banksy confirmed to be his on Thursday, March 4, sprung up on the side wall of Reading Gaol earlier this month.
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The artwork, with a depiction of a man escaping (widely interpreted as Oscar Wilde) the prison using his typewriter paper as rope, has been interpreted as a sign of support for the ongoing campaign to turn the former prison into an arts, heritage and culture hub.
The Reading Borough Council, as well as campaigners Save Reading Gaol, are currently urging the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to allow this, and not to sell the site and have it converted to residential space.
Responding to one resident on Twitter, Reading Borough Council commented on their position on the artwork and the campaign to keep the site open, saying:
We are thrilled Banksy appears to have shown his support for our desire to transform the vacant Reading Gaol into a beacon of arts, heritage and culture with this artwork. We are pushing the Ministry of Justice, who own the site, to make suitable arrangements to protect the image
— Reading Council (@ReadingCouncil) March 8, 2021
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