Late artist’s family discover he had turned home in secret world of myth and legend
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‘Lonely’ man turned rental flat into imperfect palace of the ancient world: late artist’s family discovers he’d gone home to a secret world of myth and legend – as Jarvis Cocker is one of the fans trying to preserve it
- Ron Gittins lived in a rented flat that he transformed into a magical old world until his death at age 80
- The creation of the ‘eccentric’ artist was only discovered by his two sisters after his death in September 2019
- Each room was based on a type of history that interested him, such as ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt
- His supporters, including Jarvis Cocker, now want to buy the flat and keep his artwork to inspire others
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The family of a “lonely” artist was “in awe” to discover that after his death he had secretly transformed his rented apartment into a magical world of myth and legend.
‘Eccentric’ artist Ron Gittins, lived in Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula in his rented flat for 33 years until he died in September 2019, aged 80.
His lease allowed him to ‘furnish the interior of the property to his own taste and the exterior portal in classical style without the landlord’s prior written consent’.
Little did his family know that Ron had taken the words in the lease literally and transformed his house into an “ornate classical villa” based on the wonders of ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt.
Although Ron was extremely proud of his artwork, he generally refused access to landlords, maintenance personnel, and other officials in order to protect the fantasy world he had created for himself.
Even his sisters Pat and Joan were “totally impressed” by their discovery, as he never invited them to his home and only learned of his colorful creations after his death when he emptied the flat of his belongings.
Ron Gittins was extremely proud of his artwork which he generally refused access to landlords, maintenance personnel and other officials to protect the fantasy world he had created for himself
‘Eccentric’ artist Ron Gittins, lived in Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula in his rented flat for 33 years until he died in September 2019, aged 80
Ron created a minotaur artwork inspired by ancient Greece, complete with a set of teeth – leaving his family ‘in awe’
After his death in September 2019, Ron’s family discovered that he had created an epic concrete lion fireplace in his living room
Ron, described by his family as ‘flamboyant, based each room on a period in history that interested him’
Pictured from his hallway of Ron’s rented flat in Birkenhead, the Wirral. He turned his flat into a place of magic and wonder
Described by his family as ‘flamboyant’ and ‘eccentric’, Ron had each room based on a different kind of ancient history that interested him, including a room based on ancient Greece with a minotaur artwork complete with a set of teeth, an epic concrete lion fireplace in his living room and a Roman bread oven in his kitchen.
According to Ron’s placea group founded to preserve his art, the fantastical environment he created was “a display of his lifelong passions and obsessions.”
Now his family and supporters, including singer Jarvis Cocker, are campaign to raise money to buy his old flat and turn it into a place to inspire others
Martin Wallace, a manager of Ron’s Place, said: the BBC that ‘the immersive nature of this place’ is ‘what makes it so special’.
He said, ‘Almost every time you come here, you find something different. It’s only once you come in and you really see the scale of what he did here.
“Everyone is really surprised.”
His niece Claire Jones said Ron’s family is now trying to raise enough money to buy his flat and keep his magical kingdom.
She said: When you come back in a year or two, we hope to own either the flat or the whole building to maybe inspire kids from schools or other mental health issues to create their own artwork. ‘
