Mural of Winston Churchill attracts complaints from woke brigade

A mural of Winston Churchill wearing stockings and suspenders and giving the ‘V’ sign has attracted complaints from locals who claim the hand gesture is ‘offensive’.

The mural of the wartime leader wearing lingerie was painted on a side wall of the Sandpiper guest house in Brighton by an illusive local artist who goes by the name Horace. 

Guest house owner Mr Phillips – who only provided his last name – received a call from Brighton and Hove City Council who told him they had received complaints about the mural. 

Mr Phillips – who was given three days to alter the image – called Horace as he feared local authorities would ‘ruin the painting’.

But the council made a u-turn at the eleventh hour, claiming the ‘decision had been overturned’, and the mural would not need to be changed because the gesture was ‘historically authentic’. 

Churchill gave the iconic ‘V for victory’ salute during World War Two. 

A mural of Winston Churchill wearing stockings and suspenders and giving the V sign (pictured) has attracted complaints from locals who claim the hand gesture is ‘offensive’

Churchill giving the iconic 'V for victory' salute on November 10, 1942, during World War Two

Churchill giving the iconic ‘V for victory’ salute on November 10, 1942, during World War Two

Horace, once-dubbed Worthing’s answer to Banksy, was the artist behind the mural.

The painting called Churchill rainbow was created as part of a series featuring well-known Brightonians and those with links to the city.

Winston Churchill went to school in Hove and, as the artist couldn’t find a picture with legs, stockings and suspenders were added to the mural instead.

A spokesman for the council said it had only received one complaint and mural would not need to be changed as the gesture was ‘historically authentic’. 

Horace was amazed that the mural only garnered criticism for the V sign – and not the ladies’ underwear.

He said: ‘I was surprised when Mr Phillips contacted me, I thought the image might be controversial, but because of the stockings, not the V-sign.

‘It never crossed my mind that people would be offended by that as that’s what he was doing. As a result, I haven’t changed it.’

A statue of the former-PM was branded with the words 'was a racist' during demonstrations in the summer

A statue of the former-PM was branded with the words ‘was a racist’ during demonstrations in the summer

Mr Phillips said he was ‘relieved’ at the council’s decision not to order that the painting be changed.

‘It is a victory for the Sandpiper guest house,’ he added. 

Horace has also painted portraits around the city of rock singer Nick Cave and former model Katie Price, depicting her as Wonder Woman.

A council spokesperson said: ‘A couple of weeks ago we had one complaint about it, on the grounds that the V-sign was seen to be an offensive gesture.

Depictions of Winston Churchill (a statue in London, pictured) have been hit with mass outrage this year from critics who have accused the former-PM of racism and colonialism

Depictions of Winston Churchill (a statue in London, pictured) have been hit with mass outrage this year from critics who have accused the former-PM of racism and colonialism 

The statue of the wartime PM

Authorities barricaded the statue in before another wave of protests after it was vandalised

Authorities barricaded the statue in before another wave of protests after it was vandalised

‘The member of staff who asked for it to be removed was advised by the owner that the gesture was in fact historically authentic.

‘Once we established that this was indeed the case we got back to the owner to apologise and to advise that the mural would not need to be changed.’ 

Depictions of Winston Churchill have been hit with controversy this year amid the global Black Lives Matter Movement.  

Some campaigners have criticised Churchill for racism, colonialism and his handling of the Bengal Famine to the dismay of the politician’s supporters.

Churchill’s statue was defaced with the words ‘was a racist’ during demonstrations in June.

Following the graffiti, steps were taken to fully cover the statue which sits in a prime location on Parliament Square. 

It was completely encased in a protective box in order to deter any further attacks.

British Library adds Poet Laureate Ted Hughes to a dossier linking him to slavery and colonialism

By Jack Newman for MailOnline 

The celebrated poet Ted Hughes has been added to a dossier linking him to slavery and colonialism by the British Library.

The former Poet Laureate, who came from humble origins in Yorkshire, was found to be a descendant of Nicholas Ferrar who was involved in the slave trade some 300 years before Hughes was born.

Ferrar, born in 1592, and his family, were ‘deeply involved’ with the London Virginia Company, which sought to establish colonies in North America, the British Library claimed.

The celebrated poet Ted Hughes has been added to a dossier linking him to slavery and colonialism by the British Library

The celebrated poet Ted Hughes has been added to a dossier linking him to slavery and colonialism by the British Library

The research is being conducted to find evidence of 'connections to slavery, profits from slavery or from colonialism'

The research is being conducted to find evidence of ‘connections to slavery, profits from slavery or from colonialism’

The research is being conducted to find evidence of ‘connections to slavery, profits from slavery or from colonialism’, The Telegraph reported. 

Hughes was born in 1930 in the village of Mytholmroyd in West Yorkshire where his father worked as a joiner before running a newsagent’s and a tobacconist’s.

He attended Cambridge University on a scholarship where he met his future wife Sylvia Plath.

Along with Hughes, who died in 1998, the British Library has identified Lord Byron, Oscar Wilde and George Orwell as benefits of slavery through distant relatives.

Lord Byron, who died in 1824, has been identified as a beneficiary of slavery because of his great-grandfather's and uncle's involvement in the trade

Lord Byron, who died in 1824, has been identified as a beneficiary of slavery because of his great-grandfather’s and uncle’s involvement in the trade

Oscar Wilde was included because of his uncle's interest in the slave trade, even though the research noted there was no evidence the acclaimed Irish writer inherited any of the money

Oscar Wilde was included because of his uncle’s interest in the slave trade, even though the research noted there was no evidence the acclaimed Irish writer inherited any of the money

It is part of the institution’s plans to become ‘actively anti-racist’ by providing context to the remembrance of historical figures.

It comes in the wake of this year’s Black Lives Matter movement which led to a reassessment of a number of people and institutions from our past.

But the tenuous link between Hughes and Ferrar, who he is related to through his mother’s side, has prompted ire among experts of the great writer.

His biographer Sir Jonathan Bate said: ‘It’s ridiculous to tar Hughes with a slave trade connection. And it’s not a helpful way to think about writers.

‘Why on earth would you judge the quality of an artist’s work on the basis of distant ancestors?’

He added that Ferrar was better known as a priest and a scholar who founded the religious community Little Gidding.

George Orwell, who was born Eric Blair in India, had a great-grandfather who was a wealthy slave owner in Jamaica

George Orwell, who was born Eric Blair in India, had a great-grandfather who was a wealthy slave owner in Jamaica

Romantic poet Lord Byron was added to this list because his great-grandfather was a merchant who owned an estate in Grenada.

His uncle through marriage also owned a plantation in St Kitts.

Oscar Wilde was included because of his uncle’s interest in the slave trade, even though the research noted there was no evidence the acclaimed Irish writer inherited any of the money through the practice.

Britons erase their past: The ‘racist’ road names and controversial plaques torn down and renamed

The move to rename De Montfort University comes after the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was pushed into Bristol Harbour in June, sparking a wider debate about the historical links to institutions around the country. 

The bronze memorial to the 17th century slave merchant was pulled down during a Black Lives Matter protest on June 7, amid growing tensions about Britain’s colonial past, sparked by global outcry following the death of George Floyd who died in police custody in Minnesota on May 25.

Campaigners linked to the anti-racism movement have since called for 92 statues, roads or other monuments which they deem racist to be toppled – with a full list being compiled on the website www.toppletheracists.org.

A number of schools and buildings named after Colston subsequently launched consultations to be renamed.  

Paint was thrown at a statue of Admiral Lord Nelson at Deptford Town Hall in South East London, while the gravestone of music hall singer GH Elliott who sang in blackface was covered up in Rottingdean, East Sussex. 

Elsewhere, National Trust bosses said they will review a statue of a kneeling African figure clad in leaves carrying the sundial above his head which stands in front of Dunham Massey Hall in Altrincham, Greater Manchester.

And in South Wales, a plaque honouring the memory of 17th century slave trader Captain Thomas Phillips in Brecon was torn down.

Activists forced the removal of 18th Century slave dealer Robert Milligan from outside the Museum of London in West India Quay, Docklands in June. 

More than 130 councils have announced plans to review monuments in their authorities for ‘appropriateness’, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he would conduct his own review into statues and street names in the capital.

Mayor Anderson also announced that Liverpool Council will proceed with plans to fix signs describing Liverpool’s role in slavery to roads named after slave owners. Roads that could be included are Rodney Street, Parr Street and Earle Street in the city centre.

In September, Governors at Sir John Cass’s Foundation Primary School said its name was ‘incompatible’ with the school’s values. It will now become The Aldgate School. 

And in September hundreds of people signed a petition calling for James Gillespie’s High School in Edinburgh to be renamed.  Born in 1726, James Gillespie was a wealthy tobacco merchant in 18th-century Edinburgh and was one of the richest men in the Capital. 

Meanwhile George Orwell, who was born Eric Blair in India, had a great-grandfather who was a wealthy slave owner in Jamaica.

But the Orwell Society said the money had long since disappeared before Orwell was even born. 

It was recently reported how the British Library was also ‘reviewing’ its Sir Hans Sloane manuscripts after activists targeted one of scores of London landmarks – including the famous Sloane Square – which are named after the pioneering doctor.

The move was revealed in a note on its website, and coincides with a wider review of Sloane’s legacy that saw the British Museum – which he founded – remove his bust from a pedestal and attach the label ‘slave owner’.

The 18th-century philanthropist partly funded his collection of 71,000 artefacts with money from his wife’s sugar plantation in Jamaica, which used slave labour. 

A statue of his likeness on Duke of York Square, off the Kings Road, has attracted the ire of protesters.

But the multi-million pound Cadogan Estate which manages the site on behalf of his descendant, the billionaire Earl Cadogan, resisted calls for the statue to be removed.

They pointed to his astonishing legacy, which included pioneering the smallpox vaccine and the use of quinine to treat malaria. He is also credited with inventing hot chocolate.

The questioning of his legacy could also see campaigns to rename the scores of streets that memorialise him – many of which are located on the Cadogan Estate.

As well as the British Museum, Sloane also founded the Natural History Museum and the Chelsea Physic Garden, and was a founding governor of the Foundling Hospital. All these sites include references to Sloane that could now come under threat.

Another target could be the famous Sloane Square and its well-heeled denizens… nicknamed Sloane Rangers, of which Princess Diana was considered to be an archetype.

Sloane’s descendant, Earl Cadogan, has a seat in the House of Lords and still owns swathes of some of the most exclusive real estate in London as part of his inheritance.

Much of this land is named after the eminent physician and collector, including Sloane Street, Sloane Avenue, Sloane Terrace, and a network of three streets bearing his first name, Hans.

There is also a statue of Sloane on Duke of York Square, an exclusive shopping, dining and residential complex off the Kings Road that sits at the heart of the 300-year-old Cadogan Estate.

The British Library now holds the Sloane manuscripts, which include works by the Elizabethan astronomer John Dee, medieval illuminated manuscripts and Henry VIII’s collection of medical recipes. 

The British Library said on its website: ‘Some items now at the British Library, previously owned by particular named figures cited on these pages, are associated with wealth obtained from enslaved people or through colonial violence. 

‘Curators in the Printed Heritage Collections team have undertaken some research to identify these, as part of ongoing work to interpret and document the provenance and history of the printed collections under our care.’ 

The British Library was contacted for comment.