Ron’s Place: Wirral flat of outsider art granted grade-II listing

After artist Ron Gittins’s death, his relatives uncovered the private and wonderful world he created inside his home

Inside the Wirral rental turned into an artistic spectacle by the late Ron Gittins (Historic England Archive 2024/PA Wire)

A rented flat that was transformed into a fantasy world by its artistic tenant 33 years ago has been granted a Grade II listing after art enthusiasts and volunteers campaigned to save it.

Inside the ground floor of an ordinary-looking red-brick house in Oxton, Wirral, is an artistic spectacle created by its tenant Ron Gittins, who carved a majestic fireplace in the shape of a minotaur’s head, crafted a Roman altar in the kitchen and painted Egyptian, Greek and marine murals across the ceiling.

Gittins only allowed a handful of people inside the home he lived in for more than 30 years. But following his death in 2019, his niece Jan Williams uncovered the weird and wonderful private world he had made for himself and dedicated herself to saving the flat, known as Ron’s Place.

The Birkenhead property was put up for auction in 2022 prompting a campaign led by the Saving Ron’s Place group, which includes Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker.

Wirral Arts and Culture Community Land Trust received a donation last year and was then able to buy the home at auction, before making the application to get the property nationally listed.

Not your average fireplace: Minotaur’s head takes centre stage in the living room (Historic England Archive 2024/PA Wire)

Gittins’s work is now being acknowledged as the first example of “outsider art” – a term used for work done by those without conventional training – to be granted Grade II listing by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), following the advice of Historic England.

The trust, and the Ron’s Place group, now hope to keep Gittins’s legacy alive, and inspire other artists and makers of “outsider art”.

Inside Ron’s place, which has been given Grade II status (Historic England Archive 2024/PA Wire)

“The work of one unique gentleman in the north of England has been recognised nationally. Globally even. Hallelujah!” said Cocker.

“A small number of people on this planet have known for a while that Ron’s Place is a very special place – but from now on it is official: Ron’s Place has been given listed status,” he added.

The red-brick exterior of the Grade II listed flat (Historic England Archive 2024/PA Wire)

Gittins’s niece said that she had not visited the rental before her uncle died, but later discovered that he had created himself a fantasy world.

“You hear of people whose landlords won’t return the deposits because they’ve left a blu-tac mark on the wall and he had created a whole minotaur fireplace!” Williams told PA news agency.

The lion-shaped fireplace created by Ron Gittins in his rental flat (Historic England Archive 2024/PA)

Williams said that her uncle, who died aged 79, would have been delighted that the property is protected.

“We have always had the idea of a holistic house of art. I’m sure that’s what Ron would have wanted, and having the listing gives us a lot more credibility,” she said.

The Kitchen’s Roman altar (Historic England Archive 2024/PA Wire)

She added: “He was really proud of it. It’s sad because when I was going through his stuff I found a postcard he’d written to me saying ‘I can’t wait to show you what I’ve done’.

“He’d written the wrong address so it was returned to him and I never saw it but that kind of validates me and I think he’d be made up at the lengths we’ve gone to.”

Gittins painted mock oil paintings directly to the walls (Historic England Archive 2024/PA Wire)

Volunteer Alison Bailey-Smith said they initially found it difficult to convince people the property should be listed since listed buildings are often recognised based on historical or architectural significance – not artistic grandeur.

“There isn’t anything like it in the UK as far as we know and there’s certainly not another one that’s listed so we’re absolutely delighted,” she said.

Gittins painted Egyptian, Greek and marine murals across the walls and ceiling (Historic England Archive 2024/PA Wire)

Sarah Charlesworth, listing team leader north at Historic England, said: “Ron’s Place is a testament to the unique artistic achievements and vision of Ron Gittins over four decades.

“The extent to which Ron’s creations have inspired action from people in the local area to raise funds to purchase the building and secure the survival of his legacy demonstrates the value of this remarkable project and why it has earned its place on the National Heritage List for England.”

With additional reporting from PA.