The Omaze house is worth £4m (Image: OMAZE)
A fortunate bar manager from Reading is on cloud nine after discovering he had won a magnificent country house valued at over £4 million, plus an additional £250,000 in cash, while using the loo!
Paul Knight (47) has emerged as the winner of the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Bath, and is now the proud owner of a grand six-bedroom property with Royal lineage dating back to the mid-1500s. The splendid estate was once part of the holdings of Sir John Harington, godson of Elizabeth I and inventor of the first flushing toilet, during Queen Anne’s reign.
The house comes -free, with all stamp duty and legal fees taken care of. Additionally, Paul receives a hefty £250,000 in cash to help him settle in.
He can choose to live in the house, rent it out for extra income, or sell it whenever he wishes to become a cash multi-millionaire. If Paul opts to retain the majestic property, it is estimated that the £250,000 would cover the house’s running costs for nearly ten years.
If he decides to lease it, local estate agents estimate the property could fetch a long-term rental value of between £10,000 to £12,000 per month. Paul, who secured his £4 million winning entry for a mere £20 as part of his Omaze subscription, has been working in bars since he was 18 and currently manages a bar in Reading.
His partner of almost 12 years, Justin Snowdon (36), works as an airline cabin crew.
Paul was taking a break at work, scrolling through his phone while in the toilet, when Omaze first reached out to inform him he had won a prize. Overcome with joy, Paul recounted: “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! ? “.
He continued, “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! “.
Upon meeting the Omaze team, Paul noted, “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! “.
Describing the surreal experience, Paul said, “It was all so crazy – but I didn’t have to let it compute as I had to rush back to work straight afterwards! “.
The house comes mortgage free (Image: Mark Field Photography / Omaze)
Resisting the urge to share the news with his colleagues, Paul recalled: “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!”
This colleague pointed out the obvious, saying: “You’re a millionaire now – you don’t need to be clearing tables!”
When sharing the news with his partner Justin, a flight attendant who had just returned from New York, Paul woke up early, which was unusual for him. Justin was disbelieving, attributing the news to jet lag-induced hallucinations.
Paul’s life-changing win has certainly turned his world upside down in the most unexpected way. The ecstatic homeowner gushed about his new abode: “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! ” He also revealed his dreams that are now within reach: “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.”
Discussing the impact of his substantial win on plans to start a family, he said: “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! “.
Looking into the future, the winner shared his tentative plans: “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. ” Finally, sharing his financial fortune further, he added: “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 on our current house, it’s crazy to think we’ll have two free properties worth almost £4.5m combined! ? “.
The lucky winner, who has spent his life toiling away in bars, is thrilled to be reducing his weekend workload, saying, “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! ” He’s been participating in Omaze draws since 2021, finally striking gold this time around. Sharing his success, he exclaimed, “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! “.
Reflecting on the fundraiser’s charitable aspect, he expressed gratitude regarding the significant support Omaze has garnered for BHF, sharing a personal connection: “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.”
Currently residing in a quaint 2.5-bedroom abode in Reading with their pair of cats, Frida and Diego, the winners are about to upgrade their living situation significantly. Their new home boasts an exterior virtually unaltered since 1712, including numerous historical quirks such as an operating well within the premises, a concealed Georgian drawer safe, and even ancient graffiti dating back to 1636.
After undergoing an extensive refurbishment in 2015, their new residence flawlessly blends historical charm with chic modernity. The grade II listed property offers an inspired combination of comfortable elegance and cutting-edge design – featuring antique panelling, intricate cornices, graceful ceiling mouldings, stately sash windows replete with shutters, and a splendidly crafted staircase.
The ground floor boasts four stunning reception room (Image: OMAZE)
From the grand entrance hall, the ground floor boasts four stunning reception rooms; a south-facing drawing room with direct access to the garden terrace; a morning room; an impressive dining room featuring a bespoke Breccia Medicea marble fireplace; and a garden room equipped with a hidden kitchen & bar, accessible behind sliding book cabinets, as well as full height French doors leading to the west courtyard dining area. The custom-made kitchen, fitted with a vintage Electrikit AGA, is enhanced by a pantry, larder, stone-vaulted dining room, utility room, cloakroom, cellar and plant room.
The handcrafted, bespoke cabinetry throughout is made of solid tulipwood with limed oak interiors, accommodating both Miele and Neff appliances. The meticulous attention to detail extends to the first floor, where all rooms are panelled, offering a main bedroom with an en suite bathroom, two dressing rooms, another bedroom and a dual aspect bathroom with an adjoining shower room.
The second floor’s chic guest accommodation includes three more double bedrooms and two bathrooms (one en suite). The coach house offers garage space and a one-bedroom annexe on the first floor.
The one acre of meticulously maintained gardens and grounds have been carefully designed to perfectly complement the house, featuring high dressed stone walls, courtyards, a fountain, a delightful stone orangery and a south facing terrace, perfect for the lucky winner to host friends and family.
The property not only features a workshop, ice-house, log store, shed, and undercroft but is also kitted out with tanks holding 15,000L of collected rainwater, which are linked to two on-site wells. Nestled in the secure confines of Batheaston village, the house is conveniently situated just 3 miles from the heart of Bath, with journeys to London Paddington from Bath Spa Station taking a mere 75 minutes.
The Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Bath didn’t just transform Paul into a multimillionaire; it successfully raised a staggering £4.6 million for the British Heart Foundation (BHF). The funds will be instrumental in running The Circuit, BHF’s national defibrillator network, over the next two years and will also support the installation of hundreds of defibrillators on UK high streets, contributing to sustaining more lives in communities nationwide.
The linkup with Omaze won the backing from BHF Ambassadors and the pop sensation S Club, who sadly faced the untimely loss of their bandmate Paul due to an undiagnosed heart condition in 2023.
The ambassadors from S Club and BHF shared their heartfelt thoughts, saying: “What an incredible amount this has raised – we’re absolutely delighted that so much money is going to this fantastic charity.”
They added, “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.”
Finally, they expressed a collective pride, “We’re proud to honour Paul’s memory by helping others and feel fortunate we can do this through amazing partnerships like this.”
The £4m house is in Bath (Image: OMAZE)
The one acre of meticulously maintained gardens and grounds have been carefully designed (Image: OMAZE)
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive at the British Heart Foundation, expressed her delight over the fundraising triumph through Omaze’s Bath House Draw, saying: “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. “.
She highlighted the stark reality of cardiac incidents in the UK: “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.”
Grateful for the collective effort, Dr Griffiths added: “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 latest fundraiser marks the third occasion that BHF has joined hands with Omaze, culminating in a staggering £7.6 million towards the charity’s cause.
James Oakes, President of Omaze, mirrored the excitement about their achievement and the impact on the BHF: “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.”
The opportunity to enter the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Norfolk is open now at omaze.co.uk. The deadline for online entries is Sunday 23rd February 2025, while postal entries must be in by Tuesday 25th February 2025.
Those who prefer can opt to subscribe to Omaze, automatically entering them into every new Grand Prize Draw as their subscription renews on the first of each month. Subscribers get four times more entries than non-subscribers and have the freedom to cancel anytime.
For all the details and terms, visit www.omaze.co.uk. Remember, no purchase is necessary to enter, and the draw is only open to those over 18 and residing in the UK.