A bar manager is feeling flush after finding out he had won a stunning historic country house worth more than £4 million – along with £250,000 in cash – while sitting on the loo!
Paul Knight, 47, has won the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Bath – and is now the proud owner of an elegant six-bedroom property with regal heritage, dating back to the mid-1500s.
When Omaze first contacted Paul to tell him he had scooped a prize, he was scrolling through his phone while taking a toilet break.
Delighted Paul said: ‘When I got a message from Omaze, I was actually sitting on the toilet at work reading about a lost lottery ticket thinking that it would be just my luck – but how wrong was I!?
‘As I was at work, I had to take an early break to nip out and meet the Omaze team to find out exactly what I’d won – but it was well worth skiving off for an hour!
‘I knew something was up when I saw all the cameras – I thought they’re not rolling this out for a £10 gift voucher, are they?! When they revealed I’d won a £4m country house, I was just utterly gobsmacked!
‘It was all so crazy – but I didn’t have to let it compute as I had to rush back to work straight afterwards!
‘I was very tempted to say drinks are literally on the house when I got back, but it was all so surreal I just told one colleague and cracked on with my shift as if nothing had happened!
‘She was saying you’re a millionaire now – you don’t need to be clearing tables!’
Paul Knight, 47, has won the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Bath – and is now the proud owner of an elegant six-bedroom property with regal heritage, dating back to the mid-1500s
Paul, who bought his £4 million winning entry for just £20 as part of his Omaze subscription, has been working in bars since he was 18 years old and is currently managing a bar in Reading, Berkshire
The kitchen. His partner of nearly 12 years, Justin Snowdon, 36, works as an airline cabin crew
Paul, who bought his £4 million winning entry for just £20 as part of his Omaze subscription, has been working in bars since he was 18 years old and is currently managing a bar in Reading, Berkshire.
His partner of nearly 12 years, Justin Snowdon, 36, works as an airline cabin crew.
He added: ‘My partner Justin is a flight attendant, so he came back late from New York Friday night.
‘I woke up very early, which is rare for me, to tell him the good news.
‘He couldn’t comprehend it and said it must be the jet lag kicking in and he’s hallucinating!’
The magnificent property was part of the estate of Sir John Harington, the godson of Elizabeth I, during the reign of Queen Anne – and inventor of the first ever flush toilet.
The house comes mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered. Paul also gets a whopping £250,000 in cash to help him settle in and can decide to either live in the house, rent it out for a supplementary income, or sell it whenever he wishes to become a cash multi-millionaire.
If Paul decides to keep the majestic property, it is estimated that the £250,000 would enable him to run the house for almost ten years.
If he decides to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve a long-term rental value of between £10,000 to £12,000 per month.
The magnificent property was part of the estate of Sir John Harington (above), the godson of Elizabeth I, during the reign of Queen Anne – and inventor of the first ever flush toilet
The master bathroom. The magnificent property was part of the estate of Sir John Harington, the godson of Elizabeth I, during the reign of Queen Anne – and inventor of the first ever flush toilet
The living room. The house comes mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered
The master bedroom. Paul also gets a whopping £250,000 in cash to help him settle in and can decide to either live in the house, rent it out for a supplementary income, or sell it whenever he wishes to become a cash multi-millionaire
The pantry. On his new house he said: ‘The house is absolutely stunning! We’ve been joking it’s like something out of Saltburn’
On his new house he said: ‘The house is absolutely stunning! We’ve been joking it’s like something out of Saltburn, although we won’t be running around naked anytime soon! The garage is bigger than our current house! We’ve never seen anything so grand, we love period properties, there is so much character and history here, we feel like royalty!
‘We’ve always wanted a house with a river at the end of the garden and amazing views to wake up to, so this is a dream come true.’
On what his big win means to him and his partner: ‘We’ve been thinking about adoption for a few years now, it hasn’t been possible before due to our work commitments and needing to meet certain financial criteria, but this win means we can finally look into starting a family and adopting a child, it’s all very exciting!
‘I was joking that depending on how many we have, we might even need a butler!
‘We’re not one hundred percent sure exactly what we’ll do just yet – we’re looking forward to enjoying it ourselves with friends and family. We’ll most likely keep it and rent it out from time to time as the money will provide a great income. We might even use it as a location house.
‘Whatever we decide, we’ve got amazing options, and the £250k means we could keep it for ten years without having to think about any costs.
‘We could pay off our mortgage on our current house, it’s crazy to think we’ll have two mortgage free properties worth almost £4.5m combined!?
‘I’ve been working in bars all my life, which is hard graft, so I’m looking forward to easing off a bit and not working so many weekends anymore!
‘I’ve been entering Omaze since 2021 and this is my favourite house so far, so it was worth waiting for! I’m a subscriber, which means I never forget to enter. I can’t believe I got all of this for just £20!’
A greenhouse in the garden. The happy couple currently live in their 2.5-bedroom house in Reading which they bought seven years ago. They have two cats called Frida and Diego
The happy couple are hoping to move forward with adoption now they are millionaires
The office. The exterior of their new period property has remained almost unchanged since 1712
This is the third time the BHF has partnered with Omaze and brings the total raised for the charity to £7.6 million
On the donation to British Heart Foundation (BHF): ‘I’m so happy Omaze has raised so much for BHF. My father died ten years ago due to circulatory issues, so it’s a charity that means a lot to me.’
The happy couple currently live in their 2.5-bedroom house in Reading which they bought seven years ago. They have two cats called Frida and Diego.
The exterior of their new period property has remained almost unchanged since 1712 and the interior still retains many unique historical features including an internal functioning well, a secret Georgian drawer safe, and graffiti dating back to 1636.
His new house was meticulously restored in 2015 to create a truly exceptional home.
The stylish interior of this iconic house benefits from impressive ceiling heights and windows that provide a wonderful sense of space and natural light.
The grade II listed house combines cosy grandeur with a discerning design for modern living. There are many period features such as panelling and cornices; delicate ceiling mouldings; elegant sash windows, all with shutters; and a magnificent staircase.
Leading from the grand entrance hall, the ground floor comprises four beautiful reception rooms; a south-facing drawing room, with direct access to the garden terrace; a morning room; an impressive dining room, with bespoke Breccia Medicea marble fireplace; and a garden room complete with a secret kitchen & bar, accessed behind sliding book cabinets, as well as full height French doors to the west courtyard dining area.
The bespoke kitchen, complete with vintage Electrikit AGA, is complemented by a pantry, larder, stone-vaulted dining room, utility room, cloakroom, cellar and plant room. The hand-built, bespoke cabinetry throughout is solid tulipwood with limed oak interiors, housing both Miele and Neff appliances.
The attention to detail continues on the first floor, where all rooms are panelled, providing a principal bedroom with en suite bathroom, as well as two dressing rooms, another bedroom and a dual aspect bathroom with adjoining shower room.
The second floor’s stylish guest accommodation features a further three double bedrooms and two bathrooms (one en suite).
The coach house provides garaging and a one-bedroom annexe on the first floor.
The one acre of manicured gardens and grounds have been thoughtfully designed to complement the house perfectly, with high dressed stone walls, courtyards, a fountain, a charming stone orangery and a south facing terrace, ideal for the winner to entertain friends and family.
It also boasts a workshop, ice-house, log store, shed and undercroft, as well as tanks containing 15,000L of stored rainwater connected to the two onsite wells.
The house is located in a sheltered position within the village of Batheaston and is only three miles from Bath City Centre, with Bath Spa Station taking just 75 mins to get to London Paddington.
As well as making Paul a multimillionaire, the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Bath raised a staggering £4.6 million for British Heart Foundation.
The money raised will help power the running of The Circuit, the national defibrillator network developed by BHF, for two years.
The grade II listed house combines cosy grandeur with a discerning design for modern living
The dining room. the interior still retains many unique historical features including an internal functioning well, a secret Georgian drawer safe, and graffiti dating back to 1636
It will also enable hundreds of defibrillators to be placed on high streets, keeping more hearts beating in communities across the UK.
The partnership with Omaze was backed by BHF Ambassadors and pop band S Club, who tragically lost bandmate Paul to an undiagnosed heart condition in 2023.
S Club and British Heart Foundation ambassadors said: ‘What an incredible amount this has raised – we’re absolutely delighted that so much money is going to this fantastic charity.
‘Losing our much-loved band member Paul to an undiagnosed heart condition last year, brought the importance of BHF’s work sharply into focus for us.
‘We know the money raised by this fantastic Omaze partnership is hugely important to the charity, therefore it’s important to us too.
‘We’re proud to honour Paul’s memory by helping others and feel fortunate we can do this through amazing partnerships like this.’
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive at British Heart Foundation, said: ‘We’re thrilled that Omaze has raised an astonishing £4.6 million with its Bath House Draw. This incredible donation will get us closer to saving more lives from cardiac arrest, keeping more families together for longer.
‘There are around 30,000 out of hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year, and tragically, fewer than one in 10 people survive. The money raised by Omaze will help us fund hundreds of local defibrillators and power The Circuit, the national defibrillator network. The Circuit enables ambulance services to locate the nearest defibrillator in an emergency, which can be the difference between life and death.
‘A huge heartfelt thank you to the Omaze community and to every single person who entered the draw. The money raised will keep hearts beating in communities across the UK.’
This is the third time the BHF has partnered with Omaze and brings the total raised for the charity to £7.6 million.
James Oakes, President of Omaze, said: ‘Everyone at Omaze is over the moon that Paul and his family have won this beautiful house in Bath, whilst also contributing to our huge raise for British Heart Foundation, who we’ve now raised a total of £7.6 million for over three fantastic partnerships.
‘Omaze offers people the chance to win amazing houses, whilst also introducing charities to new audiences that they wouldn’t normally reach – it’s a real win-win for entrants and our charity partners. We’re immensely proud that the Omaze community has now raised over £77 million for good causes across the UK.’
