'Possible Banksy' appears on side of Channel 4 magician's South London house

A giraffe graffiti artwork on the side of Simon Drake's house
-Credit: (Image: SWNS)


A TV magician has said he was left in shock after noticing a possible Banksy artwork had appeared on the side of his home. Simon Drake, 68, first noticed the giraffe graffiti on his South London house on Wednesday, September 18, when he returned from walking his daughter to school.

Mr Drake straight away thought the drawing could be a Banksy, because it had a similar style to the works of the renowned artist. The magician is best known for his 1990s Channel 4 magic show The Secret Cabaret.

He told the SWNS: "I saw it and I thought, that could be a Banksy. It looks like it's been stencilled - which I know is his style - and it was a giraffe so it matched his recent works. It also had to have been done by someone sneaky as I'm a light sleeper - and I didn't wake up the night before."

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Simon Drake sitting in a chair holding a book
Simon Drake is a TV magician -Credit:SWNS

But, as the days have passed since the giraffe appeared outside his home, Simon has started to doubt its authenticity. Mr Drake, who lives in a converted pub in Walworth, Southwark said: "I know Banksy posts his work on his Instagram and that hasn't happened yet.

"I'm kind of hopeful that it's not a Banksy as I know I'll be in trouble if it is. People will be here from all over the country - and they'll be trying to chip it off the wall. That's my property so I hope that doesn't happen."

'There have been a steady stream of visitors'

Even though Banksy hasn't claimed the work as his, locals have been visiting Simon's home to see the giraffe. He said: "I posted a photo on Facebook and it went bonkers. There have been a steady stream of visitors coming past to take pictures."

"And I've had a lot of advice from people. Some have said if it's a Banksy, I have to sell my house! I don't want to sell my house. I live here!"

Mr Drake instead believes a local may have painted the giraffe on his building due to its connection to the area. The Surrey Zoological Gardens, now Pasley Park, is situated next to Simon home and is believed to have been the first English zoo to display giraffes.

Victorian zoo founder Edward Cross imported them from Egypt - and had to find a way to sneak them from the Rotherhithe docks to Walworth without alarming the locals. Simon who plans to keep the giraffe mural, said: "I love it. I think it's a really nice thing to have done.

"I'm starting to think that the person who did it must know about the area's connection to giraffes. I reckon it's someone who has come to my shows and seen that information on my website."

Simon's home doubles up as a 'House of Magic', where he hosts a series of fun events - from haunted cellar tours to fortune telling and of course, his very own magic show.

You can find out more about Mr Drake's 'House of Magic' and buy tickets here.

It comes after, last month, Banksy unveiled a series of animal paintings across London. These included a goat, two elephants, and even a rhino.

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