Now I have lived in a couple of the erm, grimier parts of London in my time, so I’m not a stranger to graffiti. When we first moved to Lymington the (almost) total lack of tags was quite a revelation. You had to try pretty hard to find any spray-painted scent marking anywhere. Whilst I loathe the lazy defacement of others property, I do have more than a sneaking admiration for the work of Banksy. It shows a somewhat wry humour that appeals to me.

So I know the difference between graffiti and urban art, and when I turned the corner into New Street from Avenue Road to be greeted by this

I was both amused and intrigued at the same time. Now I don’t always remember things with incredible clarity, but I was certain I would have noticed it before as it decorates the back wall of the now defunct Linden House. A place we visited on a number of occasions as the MiL was delivered and picked up from respite care. Further viewing of the front confirmed the suspicion that something had indeed changed.

Turns out that permission had been granted by the current owners Colten for a couple of urban artists JXC and MrShiz to brighten the place up a bit. Now I have the sneaking suspicion that there may be some denizens of Lymington for whom this is a step too far. Whilst not being a great admirer of the Transformers franchise, you could hardly argue that the derelict and boarded up facia is not er, transformed by the addition of the artwork. For myself I very much like the beekeeper whilst allowing that the Transformers are very well realised.

Since they went to the bother of time-lapse videoing it all, it seems appropriate to provide a link.

So there you have it. Not proof exactly of Lymington’s urban credentials, but so much better than a quick coat of Snowcem. Just in case you want your own version, check out the pairs’ websites JXC Designs and MrShiz.