A terraced cottage with a difference… It comes with its very own shark
Since 1986, an ordinary 3-bedroomed terraced cottage at Headington in Oxfordshire has sported something a little different after its owner stuck a 25-foot high model of a shark onto its roof.
![jaws](https://www.thesteepletimes.com//wp-content/uploads/2020/01/At-first-sights-2-New-High-Street-in-Headington-Oxford-is-a-rather-ordinary-property-1.jpg)
![jaws](https://www.thesteepletimes.com//wp-content/uploads/2020/01/The-interior-is-remarkably-conventional-1.jpg)
![jaws](https://www.thesteepletimes.com//wp-content/uploads/2020/01/A-tenant-truly-wouldnt-expect-to-find-this-on-the-roof-however-1.jpg)
The house, which is now available to rent through agents Andrews for £2,250 per month, includes 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 2 reception rooms and is described as “unique” in its marketing spiel.
‘Untitled 1986’ or ‘The Headington Shark’, as it is known locally, was installed on 9th August 1986 – the 41st anniversary of the dropping of the atom bomb on Nagasaki – as a protest against nuclear power. It was the idea of the owner of the house, an American born BBC radio presenter named Bill Heine, and designed by sculptor John Buckley.
![jaws](https://www.thesteepletimes.com//wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Bill-Heine-outside-the-house-1.jpg)
Heine battled with planners for six years to keep the shark on his roof. In 1992, Michael Heseltine eventually granted retrospective planning permission and of it Heine recently commented:
“I didn’t think it would be here for 28 minutes, let alone 28 years. The shark still sparks curiosity and amazement. When I walk up and see a robin perched on the dorsal fin of the shark, it still gives me shivers”.
Come on into the water.
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Who is this silly man and why is he wasting money on such a carbuncle? He ought to instead invest his money in supporting a good cause like the Find Madeleine campaign. Oh, and by the way, I am PRO-NUCLEAR.