The Dug Out: Campaign to save Banksy-painted community centre

Image source, Alexander Smith Jonathan Holmes BBC News, West of England Published 23 minutes ago A Bristol community centre which boasts early Banksy artworks on its walls has been put up for sale by its owners. The George Wills Memorial Hall, in Barton Hill, known locally as The Dug Out, has been listed with a guide price of £650,000. Local residents had started a petition to stop the sale, insisting they wanted to keep the space as a community asset. Owners Wellspring Settlement said the building was “a financial liability we can no longer afford to maintain.” Image source, Tim Williams The building opened in 1926, after tobacco magnate Sir George Wills funded construction to help Barton Hill residents keep active. In the 1970s, it became a music venue, hosting bands like Adam and the Ants, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Massive Attack. A decade later, a project called the Barton Hill Aerosol Art Project began there, turning parts of the site into a big canvas for graffiti artists. The building still has some of Banksy’s earliest works spray-painted on its walls. In recent years, it has housed Barton Hill Amateur Boxing Club. Image source, Alexander Smith Alex Smith, from...