One of Bristol’s most iconic and photographed Banksy artworks, “Well Hung Lover”, is about to enter a new chapter. The mural, painted in 2006 on the side of a building overlooking the city centre, will go under the hammer next year along with the property it adorns. However, the building’s sale comes with a strict condition: the artwork must remain intact and cannot be removed or sold separately.
Best viewed from the bridge at the base of Park Street, the mural shows a naked man precariously holding onto a window ledge, a suited figure peering out of another window to look for him, and a lingerie-wearing woman looking at the scene in another window. At the time, the building that holds the artwork was home to a sexual health clinic. Directly opposite the headquarters of Bristol City Council, the mural’s bold placement and challenging subject matter immediately drew public attention.
At the time, Bristol authorities were embroiled in an ongoing battle with graffiti artists. But Well Hung Lover was a tipping point. Instead of removing it, initially, the council decided to take an online vote among the people. In a landslide vote, 97% of the participants voted to retain the mural, which made it stick in the city’s cultural fabric. Since then, the piece has come to represent Bristol’s street art scene and a sign of the times, with changing attitudes toward urban art.
In the 18 years since its creation, the mural has been defaced a couple of times but remains one of Banksy’s most visited works. It is centrally placed and, therefore, often featured in city events, such as the annual Bristol Light Festival, where light displays light up the side of the building behind the mural.
The building where the mural is housed is on the market, being sold by estate agent Hollis Morgan for a guide price of £700,000. The Grade II-listed Georgian property on Unity Street, off Park Street, is being sold as a five-bedroom house with potential for redevelopment. The five-storey building basement is used as a nightclub, while the upper floors are currently vacant. Previously, the building served as offices and clinic space, while the ground floor has been home to the charity Bristol Festivals for nearly a decade.
The sale, however, is subject to a restrictive covenant to protect the mural. A Hollis Morgan spokesperson confirmed that buyers would be required to agree not to remove or sell the artwork. “This is a rare opportunity to own a piece of Bristol’s history,” the spokesperson explained, adding that the currently vacant upper floors could now be converted into residential accommodation if desired.
One attempt has already been to redevelop the building as high-density student housing for 14 residents, but city planners rejected it. The property’s nightclub lease runs until the end of 2032, leaving scope for the building’s new owners to explore alternative uses for the space.
With the auction looming, the covenant secured the mural’s future in Bristol. The sale will provide a new chapter for the building and its historic artwork while firmly establishing Well Hung Lover in the city, which has embraced it as part of its identity.
Above all, this speaks to Banksy’s work and Bristol, the hub for street art worldwide. But with each passing year and thousands of residents and visitors stopping to take photos before the piece, that narrative, aside from the imagery, fills up the tale about how art can upset yet engage, eventually bringing a community closer to each other.
Tags
Banksy, Building auctioned, Well Hung Lover
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