Save the papier-mâché minotaurs! Ron’s Place gets listed status

Birkenhead’s strangest flat gets the nod from Historic England

Apr 08, 2024

Dear readers — how do you rate your interior design skills? Could you whip up an armoire in an afternoon or would you struggle with a spice rack? And have you ever considered turning your fireplace into an enormous papier-mâché minotaur? Well that’s exactly what Birkenhead’s Ron Gittins, who died in 2019, did. Now his creation, Ron’s Place, has been awarded listed status by Historic England. It’s being hailed as a testament to the power of outsider art — though not everyone is in agreement…

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The big story: Save the papier-mâché minotaurs! Ron’s Place gets listed

Top line: Birkenhead’s weirdest flat has been granted listed status by Historic England. Ron’s Place has been hailed as a monument to “outsider art”; an Aladdin's Cave of hoarded material, hieroglyphs and disembodied heads.

A brief biography: For 30 years, Ron Gittins used an ordinary-looking rented flat in Birkenhead as the canvas for his art. He built papier mache lion fireplaces, a roman altar and a giant minotaur (presumably his landlord gave generous terms in what constitutes an excessive modification) and painted classical scenes on almost every wall of the house. Gittins was an eccentric, to put it mildly.

The campaign to achieve listed status for Ron’s Place has been ongoing since 2022, when the property was put up for auction (Gittins died in 2019). A large group rallied to save it — including the likes of Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker. The idea to try and get it listed was originally a mere ploy to deter would-be bidders, according to Gittins’ niece Jan Williams. But now it’s happened.

Historian Tamsin Wimhurst visited Ron’s Place last month. Photo: Ron’s Place

The news was met with an outpouring of support:

"Ron's Place is testament to the unique artistic achievements and vision of Ron Gittins over four decades,” said Historic England’s Sarah Charlesworth
“The work of one unique gentleman in the north of England has been recognised nationally. Globally even. Hallelujah!” wrote Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker

But there have been some dissenting voices, arguing that the listing has been awarded to honour an eccentric, outsider character, rather than as a nod to the actual quality of the work. The Liverpool-based online opinion magazine Liverpolitan shared this view on X:

“Don’t get us wrong, we love an eccentric and his former home looks wild but it also looks like a sixth form art-block. Can’t help wondering whether this is really just a celebration of the underdog and his story accompanied by a philistine loss of perspective amongst our institutions about what real quality looks like.”

Listless Listing? They described the listing as “a form of social policy,” that had more to do with Gittins’ status as an ‘outsider’ artist. “There’s nothing elitist about high standards - they raise us all up,” they wrote.

The minotaur in Ron’s Place. Photo: Ron’s Place

Others are more generous. The Guardian wrote that “it’s not conventionally great art, but that’s not the point.” They argue that the unusual nature of the house, and unique character behind it, merits the listing, even if the artistic quality alone does not.

Gittins struggled with his mental health throughout his life, and was a notable character in his community. He was known for wheeling his Cleopatra model around town in a buggy, or dressing up in a “wandering minstrel” costume and serenading customers in the Birkenhead shops, according to this interesting Double Negative piece. He also “lived in relative poverty, cook[ed] tinned food on a camping stove, and [slept] in his hallway toward the end of his life”.

Bottom line: Perhaps the last word should go to Gittins’ neighbour, Alison Bailey Smith, who told The Guardian she’d bump into him with his pram on his way to buy supplies but never saw inside the house until after his death. “It was incredible, absolutely incredible … those fireplaces, the colours, the proportions in the murals. You have to see it really to believe it”.

Do you think the flat deserved a listing? Let us know in the comments below.

Home of the week

This four bedroom detached home in Hightown is just two minutes away from the beach and the River Alt. The property originally dates back to 1914, and still has a working open fire (though perhaps of more use in Winter than Spring). Take a tour here.

Your Post briefing

There will be no Animal Rising protest at this year’s Grand National, after the activist group said it was suspending its campaign of direct action against horse racing. Last year’s race at Aintree was delayed for 14 minutes by protestors and 118 arrests were made after members of the group attempted to scale a fence at the racecourse and glued themselves to obstacles. This year, a spokesperson for the group told The Guardian the public had already been convinced “that they don’t want racing to be part of the fabric of British culture going forward.” The Post will be looking at the Grand National in an upcoming weekend read and it would be great to hear your views down in the comments. Backward and cruel? Or a worthy tradition? Let us know.

In need of some sage Monday morning advice from a 111-year-old? “You either live long or you live short, and you can’t do much about it,” says Liverpool’s John Alfred Tinniswood, who is now the world’s oldest man at 111 years. The previous title holder, Japan’s 112-year-old Gisaburo Sonobe passed away last week, leaving Tinniswood, who resides at a care home in Southport, in pole position. A Liverpool fan and second world war veteran, Tinniswood attributes his longevity to two things: good luck and fish and chips. Sign us up.

Liverpool has its own version of the Hadrian’s Gap sycamore-felling scandal on its hands. A rare tree gifted to the city by Japan 40 years ago has been hacked by anonymous vandals, with Merseyside Police calling their actions “extremely dangerous and reckless”. The snake bark maple tree (found in the Oriental Gardens) was given by the Japanese government as part of the 1984 International Garden Festival. The Friends of Festival Gardens said not only had the tree been hacked at, but a pile of branches had also been burnt.

And trouble for solar panel provider A Shade of Green Ltd after it was revealed by Private Eye that the company has threatened residents with defamation lawsuits due to comments made in a Facebook group. A Shade of Green Ltd was set up in 2019 and began installing solar panels on roofs across the UK, using government schemes to fund the project at no cost to residents. However, when a Facebook group was set up to share concerns about the maintenance of the solar panels — and loans being taken out on their properties by ASG without their knowledge — the company began suing residents for their “defamatory” comments. Now ambulance technician Amanda Owen, who is from Liverpool, is suing ASG in retort to their own legal action. Know any more about this story? Email abi@livpost.co.uk with tips and information.

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🍺 The Bombed Out Church hosts its annual Beer and Cider Festival this Thursday through Sunday, with live music and street food on offer across all four days. Tickets start at £5 — buy one here.

🎨 Hone your artistic skills this Friday with a life drawing class at Wirral’s Williamson Art Gallery. The session starts at 6.30pm with all materials provided. Find out more here.

🎤 Madchester pioneers the Happy Mondays take to the Mountford Hall stage this Saturday for their first UK tour in five years. They’ll be joined by none other than the Inspiral Carpets — what a combo! Buy a ticket here.

🚲 Peloton is launching their first ever bike library in Liverpool tomorrow. Located in St Peter’s Church on Langrove Street, the library will allow families to borrow bikes for their children, swapping them out for new, bigger bikes as they grow. Anyone can register to join the scheme — find out more here.