'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.'
If you read a plaque on a bench, it’s usually a sweet message about how much someone loved sitting there admiring the view.
Perhaps it includes a short message about how much a loved one is missed now they have passed on.
But one such plaque has a bit of a twist, and has got people wondering if it’s real, or could even be a new work by local street artist Banksy.
The metal plaque spotted on a bench in Clifton in Bristol starts off as standard, reading: ‘For my love. 06.09.69 – 25.12.23’.
But it continues, ‘Husband, Father, Adulterer’, and concludes with ‘Yes,Roger, I knew.’
The bench was spotted on Royal York Crescent on Friday, and appears fairly shiny and in good condition indicating that it is new.
The 63-year-old woman who spotted it said: ‘I have to say I found it very funny when I saw it. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.’
Crowds have since been coming to have a look at the unusual plaque, with several people doubting that Roger is even real.
Some pointed out that the date of birth of 54-year-old ‘Roger’ would be 69 69, and date of death Christmas Day.
The plaque appears to be in good condition, indicating it is relatively new.
Graffiti artist Banksy, who recently made headlines with a new work in Islington, sprayed a mural nearby in Bristol city centre called Well Hung Lover of a naked cheater hanging from a window ledge.
Rachel Weaver-Tooley, whose balcony flat overlooks the bench, told the Guardian she doubted the plaque was truly an act of revenge.
She speculated it might even be the work of the local agent-provocateur Banksy.
It would be a bit of a departure from his usual work, but he doesn’t only use spray paint to create his art.
in 2018, he arranged for a painting to be shredded moments after selling for £1 million at auction in a stunt called ‘Love is in the Bin’.
He even created his own ‘theme park’ art installation called Dismaland in 2015.
But his works are generally more political, so others speculated it was due to someone living nearby.
‘There are loads of quite eccentric people here,’ neighbour Jason Smith, 53, said. ‘There are lots of novelists and artists, with time on their hands.
‘I think it is someone living along here who wants to get people talking and laughing.’
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