The black and white stencil features the word “Ken” next to it with a red heart beneath it and has been placed discreetly, but quickly noticed by passers-by.
The artwork was spotted by Jeremy Lune, Chief Executive of Prospect Hospice.
He said: “An expression of love for Ken White in our neighbourhood. As we start the year without our local creative genius, his legacy lives on x”
It is likely to be the work of a local artist using a familiar stencil style to make a personal tribute.
Ken White was born in Swindon in 1943 and began working at the Great Western Railway works at the age of fifteen.
He later trained as a signwriter and studied at Swindon Art School, developing a style known for strong draughtsmanship and large-scale public work.
Over his lifetime, White painted more than one hundred murals, many of them rooted in Swindon’s streets, people and social history.
His best known local works include the Golden Lion Bridge mural on Fleming Way, first painted in 1976 and later retouched and repainted by White himself.
He also worked on the Swindon Personalities mural, created with students to celebrate figures connected to the town.
White’s career extended well beyond Wiltshire through his long association with Richard Branson and the Virgin group.
He is best known internationally for designing the Virgin Atlantic “Scarlet Lady”, the emblem that appeared on the noses of aircraft when the airline launched in the nineteen eighties.
He also completed commissions for Virgin recording studios and cultural institutions, including work linked to the Royal Opera House.
White spent much of his life painting directly into public spaces rather than galleries.
The most recent Banksy-style artwork in Swindon’s Old Town appeared overnight in early March 2021, showing a stencilled figure on the wall of the former bus depot that sparked local speculation it might be by Banksy.
The piece, attracting attention across social media, was noticed one morning and drew crowds before it was vandalised less than two days later.
Whether this new mural remains or is removed, it highlights the continuing impact of an artist whose work helped document Swindon’s identity in paint.
