Banksy's Designated Graffiti Area

graffiti, by appointment only

A Banksy stencil in Shoreditch wryly granting official permission to graffiti, one of the artist's surviving London pieces.

Free to visit · Shoreditch · Old Street · EC2A 3PQ

Opening: Viewable any time

Among the ever-changing street art of Shoreditch survives a piece by Banksy himself, a stencil of a council-style sign reading that this is a designated graffiti area, signed off as if by officialdom. It is classic Banksy, mocking authority while quietly granting everyone permission to paint, and it has become a small landmark in the area's open-air gallery.

Surviving Banksys in London are increasingly rare, often stolen or painted over, so finding one still in place is a treat. It is free to see, on a street thick with murals and stencils, making it a perfect anchor for a wider free street-art wander around Shoreditch.

Getting there: On Rivington Street in Shoreditch, a short walk from Old Street.

Best time to go: Daytime, on a Shoreditch street-art wander.

Insider tip: It is protected behind perspex, which is the giveaway that you have found the real thing among the surrounding art. Use it as the start of a free self-guided street-art loop through Shoreditch's lanes and yards.

Free things to do in London · London Free Guide