June says...‘Make tea not war’ - stencilled pensioner makes another appearance

Published: 17 February 2011
by JOSH LOEB

JUNE Beechey’s fame is spreading.

The shopkeeper, who ran hardware shop Welsh’s in Regent’s Park Road, Primrose Hill, for 52 years, retired early last year – and then achieved iconic status when a mystery graffiti artist took a picture from the New Journal, turned it into a stencil and sprayed it on various walls around the borough. Showing June holding out a cup, it bears the slogan, “Make Tea Not War”.

The first sighting was in Belsize Village, the next on a wall around the corner from Ms Beechey’s shop, and then a third appeared, this time in Dartmouth Park.

This week the mystery painter struck again, this time in Marylebone. 

Loretta Aslan, who co-owns family run Portuguese café Loretta’s in Bell Street, off Edgware Road, said she was thrilled when she turned up for work on Valentine’s Day and saw the artwork adorning the café’s shutters.

She said: “I saw this woman and thought, ‘who’s this waiting for me?’ I feel happy whenever I look at it.”

As for Ms Beechey, she said she was in the dark regarding the identity of her mystery creative admirer. 

While one of the stencils in Belsize Village has been covered in perspex in order to protect it, the Dartmouth Park image has since been painted over. 

The appearance of Ms Beechey on numerous walls kick-started a campaign by street artists to have an arts committee run by the Town Hall to judge the varying merits of such works. For a few days, until the New Journal had the rumour officially discounted, many assumed the stencil was by mysterious artist Banksy – and it should therefore be saved. Now the spraypaint prankster has struck again – and by doing so on private property, and apparently to the joy of the owners of the shop, it seems this latest case of the “Beechey’s” will remain in situ for the time being.