A grieving family discovered their eccentric relative's hidden artwork when they stepped foot inside his house for the first time in years. Ron Gittins transformed his Merseyside home by painting colourful murals on his walls and ceilings and creating incredible fireplaces in the shape of animal heads. But his eye-catching creations stayed hidden behind a rather drab looking exterior for years - and have only now been uncovered after his death in September last year. Pat Williams spoke to the Liverpool Echo about her memories of her kooky younger brother, and how she got "the shock of her life" when she finally stepped inside his home. "It was absolutely full of all sorts of stuff," she said. "How he coped in there I just don't know. "I don't appreciate all his art but what he's done is incredible. The fireplaces are extraordinary." Ron's most striking creation is perhaps the 3 meter tall fireplace in his front room, which he built in the shape of a giant roaring lion's head. In another room, a colourful bull-shaped fireplace leaps out of the wall underneath a painted border of ancient busts. His bathroom is painted floor to ceiling with an underwater scene, while others are filled with portraits of historic leaders and Egyptian hieroglyphics. Pat, 82, said her brother, a boy soprano who later became a brilliant Buddy Holly impersonator, showed promise as an artist from a young age. "As a child he was hyperactive and very creative," she told the Liverpool Echo. "When he was a boy he used to make little soldiers out of plasticine that were from all types of regiments and countries. The details in the uniforms were incredible." In later years, Pat said her brother became more and more eccentric, often wearing elaborate costumes to social occasions. He could also be spotted out and about in the village pushing an old fashioned pram filled with the bags of cement he needed for his craft projects at his home in Oxton, Birkenhead. Sometimes he would use the pram to take a life-sized papier mache model of Cleopatra out for a stroll. She now sits in his kitchen next to a large portrait of Greek goddess Athena and an old microwave. Ron's niece Jan Williams, who is an artist herself, is now looking to save her uncle's flat. She has managed to secure a lease with the building's owners, social landlord Salisbury Management Services, and has set up a crowdfunder - "Saving Ron's Place"- to protect his legacy. Jan says only a few people have ever seen inside her uncle's place. She believes Ron kept it to himself as he became embarrassed about its dilapidated state - despite the treasures he was keeping inside. Art consultant Angela Samata says Ron's work is a fascinating example of 'Outsider Art' - a term used to describe work created outside the mainstream art world. "It's so important to keep this because it's not very often that we uncover these Outside Art environments that are created by an individual like Ron for their ow
The incredible hidden artwork that sits behind the doors of this ordinary house
A grieving family discovered their eccentric relative's hidden artwork when they stepped foot inside his house for the first time in years. Ron Gittins transformed his Merseyside home by painting colourful murals on his walls and ceilings and creating incredible fireplaces in the shape of animal heads. But his eye-catching creations stayed hidden behind a rather drab looking exterior for years - and have only now been uncovered after his death in September last year. Pat Williams spoke to the Liverpool Echo about her memories of her kooky younger brother, and how she got "the shock of her life" when she finally stepped inside his home. "It was absolutely full of all sorts of stuff," she said. "How he coped in there I just don't know. "I don't appreciate all his art but what he's done is incredible. The fireplaces are extraordinary." Ron's most striking creation is perhaps the 3 meter tall fireplace in his front room, which he built in the shape of a giant roaring lion's head. In another room, a colourful bull-shaped fireplace leaps out of the wall underneath a painted border of ancient busts. His bathroom is painted floor to ceiling with an underwater scene, while others are filled with portraits of historic leaders and Egyptian hieroglyphics. Pat, 82, said her brother, a boy soprano who later became a brilliant Buddy Holly impersonator, showed promise as an artist from a young age. "As a child he was hyperactive and very creative," she told the Liverpool Echo. "When he was a boy he used to make little soldiers out of plasticine that were from all types of regiments and countries. The details in the uniforms were incredible." In later years, Pat said her brother became more and more eccentric, often wearing elaborate costumes to social occasions. He could also be spotted out and about in the village pushing an old fashioned pram filled with the bags of cement he needed for his craft projects at his home in Oxton, Birkenhead. Sometimes he would use the pram to take a life-sized papier mache model of Cleopatra out for a stroll. She now sits in his kitchen next to a large portrait of Greek goddess Athena and an old microwave. Ron's niece Jan Williams, who is an artist herself, is now looking to save her uncle's flat. She has managed to secure a lease with the building's owners, social landlord Salisbury Management Services, and has set up a crowdfunder - "Saving Ron's Place"- to protect his legacy. Jan says only a few people have ever seen inside her uncle's place. She believes Ron kept it to himself as he became embarrassed about its dilapidated state - despite the treasures he was keeping inside. Art consultant Angela Samata says Ron's work is a fascinating example of 'Outsider Art' - a term used to describe work created outside the mainstream art world. "It's so important to keep this because it's not very often that we uncover these Outside Art environments that are created by an individual like Ron for their ow
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