Banksy artwork on 16th century British farmhouse accidentally demolished by workers

March 16 (UPI) -- A new work by the British artist Banksy made on the wall of a farmhouse that dates as far back as 1529 was accidentally destroyed by workers who demolished the building.

The graffiti artist, infamous for having remained anonymous for decades, acknowledged that the building -- located in Kent -- had been demolished in a post on Instagram.

The work, titled Morning is Broken, depicted the silhouette of a child opening metal curtains while accompanied by his pet and is the latest Banksy installation based on a recurring theme of children over the past few years.

"The city owned that land and is redeveloping," Banksy said in the statement.

"The timing of when the wall was tagged vs. when it was taken down suggests that the important messages about children are often either covered up quickly, or forgotten about," he said.

Builders working on the project who spoke to the British newspaper KentOnline said they managed to recover the remains of the mural from the rubble.

"We had no idea it was a Banksy. It made me feel sick realizing it was a Banksy," George Caudwell, one of the contractors, told KentOnline. "We were gutted."

The site is part of a redevelopment of the land to build 67 homes after the building had fallen into disrepair and was targeted "by vandals and unruly youths," according to KentOnline.

Adam Brooks, a local fan of the artist, told The Art Newspaper he believes Banksy "must have wanted it to be destroyed."

"He usually posts his work if he wants people to see it," Brooks said. "He has obviously been hanging around for it to be demolished."