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.
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.
Shortly after Ron Gittins 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 northwest England.
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 duplex comprising three main rooms, a hallway, kitchen and bathroom.
Together they established the Wirral Arts and Culture Community Land Trust (WACCLT), which launched a crowdfunding campaign through the website Ron’s Place, applied for listed status and eventually bought the building last year.
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.
The property is currently undergoing work to “stabilize and preserve” the artwork for a “micro-museum,” while the trust is also hoping to convert the other apartments in the building to create a “holistic house of art and creativity,” according to Williams.
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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.
Shortly after Ron Gittins 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 northwest England.
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 duplex comprising three main rooms, a hallway, kitchen and bathroom.
Together they established the Wirral Arts and Culture Community Land Trust (WACCLT), which launched a crowdfunding campaign through the website Ron’s Place, applied for listed status and eventually bought the building last year.
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.
The property is currently undergoing work to “stabilize and preserve” the artwork for a “micro-museum,” while the trust is also hoping to convert the other apartments in the building to create a “holistic house of art and creativity,” according to Williams.
The original article contains 957 words, the summary contains 199 words. Saved 79%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!