A university academic is campaigning to have graffiti, drawn by the Sex Pistols on the walls of their London flat, declared to be a national landmark. Dr John Schofield, who is a member of staff at the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, has said he believes the graffiti is worthy...
A university academic is campaigning to have graffiti, drawn by the Sex Pistols on the walls of their London flat, declared to be a national landmark.
Dr John Schofield, who is a member of staff at the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, has said he believes the graffiti is worthy of being preserved as heritage pieces, meaning the graffiti would be granted equivalent status to cave drawings from prehistoric times.
The graffiti is on the walls of a flat in London‘s Denmark Street and was mainly drawn by John Lydon. The graffiti consists of eight cartoons depicting Lydon and other members of the band, as well as Malcolm McLaren and other associates of the Sex Pistols. If the campaign is successful, then the flat will be emblazoned with a blue plaque, denoting its historical significance.
Schofield told the Daily Telegraph: “The tabloid press once claimed that early Beatles recordings discovered at the BBC were the most important archaeological find since Tutankhamun’s tomb. The Sex Pistols’ graffiti in Denmark Street surely ranks alongside this and – to our minds – usurps it.”
He continued: “This is an important site, historically and archaeologically, for the material and evidence it contains. The building is undoubtedly important, and could meet criteria for listing or for a blue plaque, if not now then in time.”
Schofield’s recommendations will now be considered by English Heritage.
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