Huge new AI mural on pub in Banksy's home city is torn down after backlash over multiple mistakes

A large vinyl mural went up on the side of the Jolly Colliers pub in West Street, Bedminster, Bristol. The image presented a colourful, composite view of the city, featuring the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Cabot Tower, SS Great Britain and rows of houses. Within days, local residents and artists raised objections to multiple factual errors and odd visual choices, and photographs show the mural was later torn down.

• SS Great Britain: The ship was rendered in a way locals described as looking more like a riverboat than the historic iron steamship anchored in the harbour.
• Clifton Suspension Bridge: The bridge appeared with an incorrect traffic setup, showing it as one-way, and its surrounding context was mislocated.
• Invented viaduct: The composition included a large viaduct bridge that does not exist in Bristol and has no local equivalent.
• Houses and geography: A series of colourful houses shown beside the west end of the Clifton Suspension Bridge are actually on the opposite side of Bristol, in Cliftonwood, overlooking the harbour.
• Cabot Tower and cathedral: The mural included a version of Cabot Tower that did not match the real structure, and placed other landmarks together in ways that do not reflect Bristol's layout.
• Reference to Banksy: The mural contained an image intended to recall Banksy's Mild Mild West, but substituted the artist's petrol bomb‑throwing teddy bear with a one‑legged figure pointing, which locals took as a rough or incorrect reference.

Local artists and residents expect street art and murals in Bristol to reflect the city's geography, visual culture and the exactness of its iconic sites. The mural's visual inaccuracies and the flawed Banksy reference prompted immediate criticism. People voiced dismay that a prominent wall display would misrepresent the city's known landmarks.

The incident highlights the potential gap between large-format public artwork and local knowledge. When a public-facing image uses recognisable civic icons, accuracy matters to residents who live with those landmarks every day. The way familiar images are altered can quickly prompt complaints, especially in cities with a strong street‑art culture and an established relationship to certain artists and images.

• For public art that references local landmarks, verify visual accuracy with local sources before display.
• Temporary installations on historic or well-known walls should anticipate community feedback and plan for faster removal if necessary.
• When referencing an established artist or iconic work, clarify intent and obtain consent where possible to avoid misinterpretation or offense.