I love parrots so much I had my house covered in a huge mural of them… neighbours call me ‘the bird man’
A PARROT-mad great grandad has covered his £300,000 home with a giant mural of his birds – and his neighbours LOVE IT.
Gordon Squires, 92, commissioned local artists to paint the dazzling jungle scene across the front and side of his privately-owned three-bed semi, in Peterborough.
The pensioner had wanted to complete the design himself – but family members were concerned about his safety on a ladder.
Great-grandad Gordon said: “Everyone on the street seems to love it. It is very bright, but I haven’t had a single complaint.
“There isn’t really anything to dislike about it. It’s a pity more people aren’t able to paint their homes like this to be honest.
“But then it did cost quite a lot of money – I am not going to say how much, but we are talking hundreds of pounds.”
Gordon, a retired chef known locally as ‘the bird man’, has 16 parrots, including African greys and blue and gold macaws.
He added: “I’ve had parrots for 50 years. There is just something about them. They are very special birds.
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“However, looking after them is a full-time job – you’re constantly cleaning up and feeding them.
“I just thought it would be nice to have them outside my home, as well as inside, so decided to go for it.
“If for some reason I don’t ever have my parrots I will be able to sit outside and look at them.
“It took the artists three days, but I’m so happy with the result.”
Nathan Murdoch, from Street Arts Hire, carried out the work alongside fellow artist Jonnie Barton.
He said: “Gordon wanted to do it himself, but although he’s very active, his family was a bit worried, as he is 92.
“He’s a proper character who’s been breeding and keeping birds there for about five decades.
“And it’s not every day that someone asks you to paint parrots across their house, so we really wanted to do it for him.”
Mr Murdoch added the response to the mural had been “great”.
He said: “It’s really rewarding to do something like this and it’s a nice thing for him to have.”
Gordon now plans to have his roof painted blue – along with parrots in flight.