A rental property secretly transformed by the eccentric artist who lived there for three decades has been officially protected by the British government, five years after his death.
Among the artworks in the apartment were works set in Ancient Egypt and Georgian England, as well as fireplaces in the shape of a roaring lion's head.
Shortly after Ron Gittins, pictured, died in September 2019 at age 79, his family visited the apartment where he had lived since the mid-1980s in Birkenhead, just outside of Liverpool in north-west England.
What they found inside left them totally awestruck.
Gittins had decorated almost every available surface in his home and painted numerous murals depicting historical scenes.
A rental property secretly transformed by the eccentric artist who lived there for three decades has been officially protected by the British government, five years after his death.
The discovery was particularly surprising as Gittins, who had limited formal artistic training, largely discouraged people from visiting his home, an apartment on the first floor of a Victorian-era duplex comprising three main rooms, a hallway, kitchen and bathroom.
After his death it became clear why, according to his niece, Jan Williams, pictured.
"The house was an absolute tip and you couldn't even get through the door," she said.
Williams said her uncle was "flamboyant" and "really outlandish" and was often seen around the town in costume, foraging for things that he would load into a shopping cart, such as bags of cement.
Every room of the apartment was piled high with bags, boxes, books, art materials, food packaging and much more, as well as many hand-written notes, some of them in code.
Soon afterward, Williams and her partner Chris Teasdale, who are themselves both artists and run a mobile exhibition space, started a campaign to save "Ron's Place," supported by friends, relatives, artists and others working within the world of culture and heritage.
Now, the property has been granted "Grade II" listing by Britain's Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of national heritage body Historic England.
A spokesperson for Historic England explained the significance, saying: "Including Ron's Place on the National Heritage List for England allows us to highlight and celebrate what is significant about this extraordinary place, and helps us to make sure that any future changes to it do not result in the loss of its significance."