New mural paying tribute to Peterborough icon Walter Cornelius vandalised

The work, completed by renowned local street artist Nathan Murdoch, of Street Arts Hire Ltd, is on the back of the former TK Maxx and Woolworths building on Wentworth Street, facing the Park Inn by Radisson hotel.

The work depicts some of the Latvian-born strongman’s most iconic feats, including pushing a peanut with his nose through Cathedral Square and attempting to fly across the River Nene in homemade wings.

The mural was only completed at the end of July but has already been defaced with a red tag that appears to read RBS.

A similar tag was used to deface a number of the city’s other most famous artworks in 2023, these included the large mural on the side of a house on the corner of Gladstone and Bright Street that reads ‘Hello My Beautiful People,’ a peace mural on the side on the Millfield Convenience Store on Lincoln Road, a mural in St Marks Street on multiple garage doors to raise awareness for the mental health charity MIND and one of Nathan’s first pieces to go viral around the world, his anti-racism mural in the Taverners Road underpass.

A mural in honour of legendary Peterborough Telegraph photographer of over 50 years service, David Lowndes, was also vandalised with graffiti in January 2024.

All of these artworks have since been repaired.

Shortly after the incident, artist Nathan took to Facebook to say: “The individual who has targeted my wall once again recently turned 40 and I am only months behind them.

“We know each other from a different time in life, starting in similar life circumstances but 40 years on… life has took us in different directions.

“I’ve made so many mistakes in my life and you’ll never see me claiming any level of perfection. As inconvenient as this is, they need more help than I do so I wish they find that somewhere.

“Maybe one day we can talk before we turn 50.”