Iconic Shark House listed to rent for £3,500 a month

You mightiness person seen pictures of The Shark House. A 25-foot fibreglass and alloy sculpture of a shark crashes headfirst into the extortion of a beauteous Victorian spot successful Headington, Oxfordshire. The shark’s tremendous assemblage points skyward, its caput submerged successful the building.

This antithetic sculpture was conceived successful 1986 by Bill Heine — the existent owner’s begetter — and the sculptor John Buckley. Its beingness was instantly controversial: it had been erected overnight, without readying permission, and rapidly became the taxable of a six-year quality implicit its close to remain.

At first, Oxford metropolis assembly protested that the shark was unsafe to the nationalist (the operation was aboriginal recovered to beryllium safe). It past deemed that it should beryllium removed arsenic it constituted a development. A retrospective readying exertion was declined successful 1990, and it was lone aft Heine appealed to the Secretary of State for the Environment successful 1992 that the shark was yet fixed support to stay.

The shark was erected connected 9 August 1986, connected the day of the 2nd atomic weaponry dropped connected Nagasaki. It was intended arsenic an anti-nuclear and anti-war sculpture. “The shark was to explicit idiosyncratic feeling wholly impotent and ripping a spread successful their extortion retired of a consciousness of impotence and choler and desperation…. It is saying thing astir CND, atomic power, Chernobyl and Nagasaki,” said Heine astatine the time.

Heine besides wrote a publication astir the shark, which was published successful 2011. He passed distant successful 2019.

Heine’s son, Magnus Hanson-Heine, bought his puerility location successful 2016. At the time, his begetter had remortgaged the spot and it was successful information of being repossessed. “It looked progressively apt that the shark would beryllium ‘tidied up’ truthful the spot could beryllium sold disconnected arsenic a regular terraced house,” helium told The Guardian. “In the end, I agreed to sphere this portion of past and articulation the combat for its survival. The shark location is harmless for now.”

Despite its rocky introduction, the shark has go a section landmark. The gathering received listed presumption successful 2022, to Hanson-Heine’s dismay: “You couldn’t constitute a much tone-deaf readying decision. They don’t recognize the artwork and they person done harm to a beauteous portion of the city’s taste heritage, which is simply a amazingly perverse usage of the Heritage register,” helium told The Independent.

“Using the readying apparatus to sphere a humanities awesome of readying instrumentality defiance is absurd,” said Hanson-Heine to the Associated Press.

Hanson-Heine has been letting the location for abbreviated stays connected Airbnb. Now, though, the full spot is disposable for rent, having been listed with Chancellors for £3,500 per month.

Inside, the location is arranged implicit 2 floors, with a cellar. There are 4 treble bedrooms, 3 of which are ensuite.

Downstairs, determination is simply a room diner, inferior room, ample reception country and plant-filled plot room. To the rear, determination is besides a backstage garden.

The property’s interiors are much sedate than the shark sculpture mightiness pb viewers to believe. Several rooms clasp play features specified arsenic woody floorboards and sash windows, portion determination is simply a neutral colour strategy passim the house: beige carpets, cream-coloured walls and plentiful earthy light.

The location comes furnished and is being marketed to families and professionals “seeking a distinctive surviving space”, according to the agents.

“The iconic Headington Shark House, recognised globally for its stunning 25-foot fibreglass and alloy shark sculpture, offers a unsocial accidental to reside successful a surviving portion of creation history.”