Was up in Oxford again today & took a few pics of the Headington Shark. I know a few members on here will already know of it but thought a few of our overseas members might like to see some English eccentricity. Lots of better pics on internet. Headington, Oxford
from that website. When the [Not the] Moulin Rouge in Headington closed in 1991, the legs were transferred to his Brighton cinema. In 1994 the Penultimate Picture Palace Company collapsed.
I know a few members on here will already know of it but thought a few of our overseas members might like to see some English eccentricity. And us Northerners i had never heard of this really wierd !
Just been noodling around interent & found something to remind me of the shark, then found this video about the sharks 26th birthday last year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAWRS1A7IfM
On BBC News website. Should city's shark house be protected? Oxford's Headington Shark could become a protected site
They probably say: "there's a bit of a tail to the house next door and its unFINished loft extension." Sorry!!
Just to get a few things straight here, it's not English eccentricity it's American. The guy who put this up was an American and he did so without proper planning consent. There was a long, drawn out court case (which helped drive up my council tax) and in the end he won....but he shouldn't have (people have said he used his BBC Radio show to drum-up public support for what was, in effect, an illegal activity of installing roof art without the proper planning consent -- which he knew he would never get anyway). The house itself has been uninhabited for years and is now something of an eyesore, and the shark is in a dilapidated condition. The Shark has also caused major problems for the roof and, by all accounts, the house has rain water flooding down the inside walls and this is causing problems for the neighbouring terraced, properties who both suffer from major problems with rising damp. Apparently, repeated efforts have been made to get this guy to maintain the property properly but he had failed to do so and this has seriously affected the neighbours ability to sell their own properties.Also, it's a very small, narrow streets and the Shark attracts 100's of visitors and tour buses, every day, all of whom drive the residents nuts. One guy told me he was sitting in his living room watching TV and drinking a cuppa of tea when a Japanese Tourist looked through his window and took a flash photograph of him....to say he was not pleased at this invasion of his privacy would be an understatement. With Regards to the two Cinemas that this guy also had a hand in, "Not the Moulin Rouge" and "The Penultimate Picture Palace", these were set up in the East of Oxford as 'Art House' Cinemas and he was not alone in setting them up. His business partners were an older couple, who I met a few years back and who told me some awful tales of this guys business morals. They said they were sleeping partners who invested heavily and were not pleased with what he had done with the business and when they tried to buy him out he refused to sell and so the Cinemas just fell into ruin, I believe they lost their investment, or at least that's the impression they gave. They were very nice people and were not ranting about him, or anything like that; they seemed resigned to what had happened but it was clear they were very frustrated and more disappointed than angry. Everything I've heard about this guy paints him as an unsavoury,arrogant arse who did what he pleased and bugger everyone else. That said I've never met him myself nor have I ever listened to his Radio Show, these are just the impressions I've picked up over the years whilst living in Oxford. The Headington Shark still divides opinion in the City and people, not aware of the background tend to be the ones in favour of it, those who know something about it and how he went about this whole process hate it and want it gone. No clue as to what is happening to the property since he died but it should be close to being resolved soon as Probate and estate Tax needs to be paid within 18 months of death. So I would imagine whomever has inherited this mess will want rid of the headache of this thing and it will soon be sold. Whoever buys it, and presumably for a knockdown price, will most likely get rid of the Shark. The council are not likely to take it on because ongoing maintenance will be a headache and, from what I hear, the whole Shark may need replacing, and because they fought the guy for so long to get rid of this shark.
The Headington Shark gets on the Heritage Asset Register Adding iconic Headington shark to heritage list is 'ignorant' claims owner | ITV News
