“Strangest property ever seen” to be sold amid group’s campaigns to keep wild and wacky artistic house alive

A HOUSE labelled the “strangest property ever seen” is to be auctioned next week despite campaigns to keep it alive – as it contains bizzare works and collections of late artist Ron Gittins.

The artist from Wirral, Merseyside passed away aged 80 in September 2019, leaving his famous house and museum known simply as Ron’s Place abandoned and unoccupied.

Ron spent 33 years sculpting transforming the property into the bizarre menagerie of artistic works inside – but on Wednesday Ron’s Place could be in anyone’s hands.

Ron began renting his ground floor flat in 1986 as the tenancy agreement allowed him to decorate the interior of the property to his own taste without the prior written consent of the landlord.

The house itself is filled to the brim with a wide array of art and sculptures, heavily featuring both Egyptian and Greek Gods.

The property has some stand-out pieces which include a gigantic three metre tall concrete lion fireplace that opens at the mouth of the beast.

The walls and ceilings appear to follow the theme of either ancient Greece or Egypt as etchings and ciphers surround the walls.

The house also pays homage to many famous characters of its time including Tutankhamun, the Minotaur and oddly even a room that is dedicated to the Napoleonic military.

The entire house is littered with oddities like dolls heads, paintbrushes, vintage magazines and sketches found in every crevice.

The house’s exterior also offers a glimpse of the fantastical wonder that lies inside as two stone totems can be seen next to the front door.

Ron himself was a self-employed artist who gained a reputation around Merseyside, but left no clues as to what lay inside his home.

Only when Ron died did his family discover what he had converted his flat into.

Due to the flat lacking many home comforts, there was never any space for friends or family to stay or visit.

Instead, Ron’s fantasy world was only discovered by his sister Pat and her husband Henry soon after he died, leaving the couple overwhelmed.

However, as Ron never purchased the flat, the owner had decided after his death to put the property on the market back in November.

After discovering this and fearing that his creations may die with him, Ron’s family decided to set up a campaign to ‘Save Ron’s Place.’

Their goal is to raise enough money to buy the flat outright and save Ron’s secret legacy.

Speaking today, Ron’s niece Jan Williams said: “There’s so much love for Ron’s Place and that’s great but it’s not enough.

“We’ve worked tirelessly as custodians and advocates to save the magical world Ron created in his rented flat.

“It’s crunch time now and we need serious support or it’ll be lost forever. Unsurprisingly, media attention has focused on the amazing world Ron created.

“We need to shift the narrative onto what Ron’s Place can do.

“It has huge potential to inspire all sorts of people to explore their own creativity, everyone who crosses the threshold is blown away by the sheer scale and splendour of one man’s creative output.

“What we urgently need right now is an investment partner – a benefactor or institution – to secure the purchase of Ron’s Place at auction on 1 March.

“Once we have security of tenure we (Wirral Arts and Culture Community Land Trust) – would be in a position to raise funds to make Ron’s Place a viable proposition.

“We only started the fundraiser about a month ago to raise awareness of the situation and see if we could find a partner who would be interested in partnering with us to buy the building.

“We have been amazed at the response, getting nearly £10,000 from 340 people.

“We still need a sympathetic partner to buy the property, especially if it does not sell at auction.

“All the money raised will go to archive, conserve and store the contents of Ron’s and use it for community based projects moving forward whatever happens.”

Jan continued: “Ron was a very colourful character who always did things in his own special way.

“It was normal for Ron to go to the shops dressed as a Roman centurion, and to entertain customers and staff in the NatWest bank with his guitar.

“My parents – Ron’s sister and husband – were the first to go in after Ron died.

“When we were going through Ron’s stuff I found a postcard addressed to me saying he’d love to show me what he’d been creating.

“I’d moved to Portsmouth to study fine art and had lost touch with him to a certain extent.

“Sadly I never received the card because he’d written the wrong address on it. It’s nice to know he wanted to show me around anyway

“It would be sacrilege for this unique and internationally acclaimed ‘palace of art’ to be destroyed, painted magnolia and turned into a normal home when it has so much potential to inspire all sorts of people, including those who wouldn’t normally get involved in art – to explore their own creativity.”

The property has recently attracted a lot of attention after house-hunter Elena Rosewell posted a video of the property’s listing on Rightmove as she walked through the bizarre find.

The video begins with Elena, 26, talking into the camera whilst spooky music can be heard in the background.

She says: “Guys, I need to show you this property that is up for auction in my area.

“Okay at first glance you’re like oh, normal, looks normal, maybe a bit spooky but looks normal,” as she showcases the front of the house as well as the standard kitchen area.

“You know, pretty bog standard kitchen, then you keep going and you’re like ‘oh it’s starting to get a bit quirky’.”

She then delves into Ron’s creations showing a shrine-like structure built into a wall, saying: “Like, is this a shrine? What’s going on here?

“Just wait, just wait, so at first glance you’re like oh, pretty normal living room right? Wrong.

“Let me zoom you in over here, there’s a pair of legs on the chair, and on the next chair there’s this (she points to half a mannequin resting on top of the chair).

“It gets weirder, Boom, there’s a Minotaur fireplace. A Minotaur fireplace.

“That’s not the end, in the other room there is a lion fireplace.

“What in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is going on, what is going on?

“Apparently, it was owned by a local artist who passed away – RIP Ron, but wow, imagine waking up in the middle of the night.”

The video has received over 5,200 likes and dozens of comments from users who were left slightly spooked by Ron’s quirky creations.

One TikTok user wrote: “I’m taking a whole lot of sage there.”

Another wrote: “When’s the auction? I’m invested in whoever buys it.”

Another commented: “The Lion, the Minotaur, and the lone legs.”

Another wrote: “There is no way this isn’t haunted.”

Speaking today, Elena from Wirral, Merseyside said: “My first reaction was ‘wow this place is insane’. I saw it on the auction site initially without knowing the backstory of the building.

“At first glance I thought that it may be haunted because the interior is creepy yet hypnotising, you want to see more.

“The decor itself isn’t to everyone’s taste but it’s definitely impressive and Ron was clearly a talented and passionate man.

“Now that I’ve looked into the backstory of the building, I feel like Ron’s safe place was his art, and that art has grown his legacy.

“It’s definitely a bold interior design choice, that is completely different to anything that I’ve ever personally seen.

“I can just imagine waking up in the middle of the night and having a massive lion staring at you!

“The reaction has been very mixed – some people are creeped out by it but there’s also been so much support for Ron and his art and a lot of people have said they hope it’s kept that way.”

As it stands Ron’s fantasy world is coming up for auction tomorrow (01 MAR) and the campaign still needs more donations to save his work.

If you wish to donate to the #SavingRonsPlace Gofundme, please visit: https://gofund.me/1040014d