Where to find Banksy art in London.
Love him or hate him, there's no denying Banksy's place in art history. The elusive satirist was synonymous with street art in the Noughties, and he remains the one graffiti writer that most people can name. His habit of stencilling London's walls appeared to have slowed down in recent years, but he was back with a bang in 2024 with a series of animal-themed images.
Street art is, by its very nature, ephemeral. New works are quickly erased, either by unimpressed property owners or by other street artists and taggers. Banksy's works tend to stick around longer than most, however, because of the cachet (and cash) that a Banksy fetches. Here, we've photographed and mapped all the surviving works we're aware of — some of which are almost a quarter century old.
See also: How many Banksys were left in 2016.
Where to see Banksy rats in London
Banksy's earliest works often depicted rats. The stencils were all over London in the early years of the century, but most have now followed the Pied Piper into oblivion. Here and there, though, you can still find a murky murine mural.
Besides the Cannon Street rat above, another better-preserved rodent could, until very recently, be found skulking beneath the arch of London Bridge on Tooley Street — a rare Banksy south of the river. Sadly, it was whitewashed over sometime in late 2022. Perhaps the Banksy rat has been forgotten by many, and it wasn't recognised for what it was.
One that does still survive clings to the rear wall of the old Camden Town Hall annexe, protected from further deterioration by a sheet of plastic.
The best-preserved rat of them all, however, lurks on Chiswell Street to the north of the City. Here, a medallion-wearing rodent holds up a placard declaring its love of London. Despite a plastic overcoat, the stencil has been targeted several times. The blacked out text beneath 'London' once said 'Robbo' — a graffiti writer with whom Banksy had a long-running spat. It's now been overwritten by a sticker-tagger.
Further rats can no doubt be found across London. One additional critter we've not yet had chance to photograph seems to have survived on Whymark Avenue, Turnpike Lane, for example.
In 2023, Banksy's largest rat made a reappearance on Old Street. This image of a rat holding a knife and fork was painted around the back of the old Foundry nightclub in 2004. It then spent most of its life covered up with board. The recent construction of the drum-shaped Art'otel on the same site has now liberated the rat, along with another Banksy work showing a TV getting thrown out of a window. Full story.
The 2024 Banksy menagerie
Banksy enjoyed something of a London comeback special in August 2024, when nine animals were sprayed up in very different locations. The daily reveals might have been better left until December, when they could have formed a city-wide advent calendar. As it was, August was a good choice because it brought a bit of lighthearted fluff among depressing news about far-right racist rioting. Here are the locations of the nine stencils, and their status as of September 2024.
1. Mountain goat (Kew): still there, covered in perspex
2. Elephants (Edith Terrace, Chelsea): still there, one has been defaced with stripes
3. Monkeys on a bridge (Brick Lane): still there, image above
4. Wolf on a satellite dish (Rye Lane, Peckham): stolen shortly after installation
5. Pelicans on a fish shop (Pretoria Avenue, Walthamstow): still there
6. Big cat (Edgware Road, Cricklewood): removed shortly after installation
7. Piranhas on a police kiosk (Ludgate, City): quickly moved from the scene and now in Guildhall Yard (see below)
8. Rhino humping a car (Charlton): still there, slightly defaced, but the impregnated car has gone
9. Gorilla at London Zoo: removed by zoo for safekeeping and probably redisplay
The monkeys, incidentally, swing over part of Brick Lane that was once known as the "Banksy Bridge" thanks to an earlier work, which was removed in 2007. I'm not sure the wider press picked up on this detail.
Other works by Banksy
One of the artist's best preserved murals is also one of his earliest. This mock royal family have been waving to the good people of Stoke Newington Church Street since 2001. It remains in good condition, despite several attempts at removal.
Less well-preserved is the double-yellow flower of Bethnal Green. This large mural appeared in 2007, along with images that may (or, more likely, may not) have shown the artist's face. The work didn't last long before being assaulted by a barrage of rival graffiti.
Another pair of images in good nick can be found beneath the Barbican in the Beech Street tunnel. These murals, which pay homage to street art pioneer Jean-Michel Basquiat, are much more recent, appearing in 2017. They were quickly covered in perspex to prevent damage.
The same cannot be said for the famous girl-clutched-by-cash-machine wheeze on Rosebury Avenue, Clerkenwell. Our image, below, taken in 2008, shows the mural in its prime. It is now fatally faded, though protected by a perspex sheet. (Similarly, a very poorly preserved piece on Essex Road, which once showed children flying a flag that's actually a Tesco bag, can just about be seen.)
Banksy returned to Islington in March 2024, when he painted some greenery on a wall behind a supposedly dead tree on Hornsey Road. It drew crowds at the time, with people queuing to get a photograph (alas, not me, so no snap of this one). The work has since been defaced with white paint, and the tree is now in leaf, so it's not aged well.
Just about still visible, on the Thames Path at Bermondsey Wall, is this silhouette of a boy fishing. It's hard to make out now, but his prize catch was once a needle. Our photo is from 2015, but the mural still looks the same in a 2022 Street View image.
Notting Hill, meanwhile, is home to a panel depicting Velasquez. The work, dating from 2008, was covered up for many years, but has recently been restored to view. It's on the corner of Portobello Road and Acklam Road.
Two Banksy works survive in the Shoreditch/Spitalfields area. The first is in the much-weathered form of a pink car, which nestles in the Truman Brewery complex with another old banger by D*Face. They've been there for years, and frankly look a bit crappy.
On nearby Rivington Street, you can find the much-photographed Designated Graffiti Area mural, in the yard that belonged to the now-defunct club Cargo.
Hidden Banksy works
It's never been 100% confirmed if the faded image of a pouting girl on Whitton Road, Hounslow is a genuine Banksy or not. But locals are convinced enough that the Smile mural, dating from 2007, has been protected with perspex. Sadly, the image was recently covered up by an advert for crispy dosas — at least according to the dubious reportage of MyLondon who've used my image without asking, and credited it to someone else!
All images by Matt Brown unless otherwise indicated. Let us know in the comments if you know of further surviving Banksy works around London.
