THE mere mention of the name Bansky, the graffiti artist whose identity has provoked fevered speculation, is enough to cause excitement.

Imagine then, what it must be like to get up close and personal with his work, as staff at Carlisle’s Fine Art Restoration Company do.

In fact, they’re the go-to for Banksy conservation.

“As Banksy’s profile has grown, we have, by accident rather than design, become the only specialist really in the world,” said company founder and director Chris Bull.

We’ve restored a lot of Banksys and we continue to do so and work on these for private individuals, institutions, museums and collectors.

"There are very defining tells, as it were, to his work – to the point where you can tell that something isn’t by his hand. The way he cuts his stencils, that kind of thing. There’s a definite flow to them.”

As well as street art and paintings, the company preserves and restores everything from furniture to sculptures.

It has recently relocated from its city centre base to Kingmoor Park, increasing the workforce by 50 per cent.

“We’ve expanded in terms of our premises, our staff and our offering of services,” said Chris. “Our studio space has increased from 500 square feet to over 12,500 square feet. We’ve expanded our offering for furniture restoration and conservation and also textiles and upholstery.

"Our sales have been growing steadily by about 30 per cent a year, which is nice. In the last seven years, we’ve increased our turnover by nearly 500 per cent.

"We’ve had an increase in international consignments of 30 per cent year on year for the past five years.”

In addition to the main premises in Cumbria, there’s a ‘shop window’ in London’s Belgravia.

With the business being so niche, recruitment can be a challenge.

“The conservators and restorers that work here are incredibly skilled – the majority of them are educated to masters or degree level and they’ve spent a lot of time honing their skills,” said Chris.

Clients include the BBC, the Royal College of Nursing and the National Trust, along with collectors, estate owners and insurance companies. There’s even the odd celebrity.

“In the last year or two we’ve worked for Jonathan Ross and Richard Hammond – quite a few celebrities, so that’s quite nice,’ said Chris.

“There’s something about artwork and antiques and collectables that can motivate a great deal of emotional connection and memory.”