The Headington Shark – a famous Oxford Landmark – has suddenly been surrounded by scaffolding!

The Headington Shark as it has been for years…

Appearing as if it has freshly crashed from space and embedded itself into and ordinary Oxford terrace house the Headington Shark has wowed tourists and residents alike for over 20 years. Placed there in secret by local Oxford eccentric Bill Heine and his crazy artist buddy John Buckley in 1986 the Headington Shark has attracted worldwide attention ably competing with other Oxford features such as the Bridge of Sighs, the Radcliffe Camera and The Bodlian Library. But on the morning of Teusday 3rd of July 2007 scaffolding started to appear around the fallen fish!

One morning the scaffolders appeared…

In recent years the house has become increasingly run down and damp looking with wildly overgrowing front garden, vines climbing into next doors window and the top two floors were infested with pigeons.

The hole in the ceiling was sealed and the newly blocked out pigeons sat on the roof of the sharks’ house forlornly waiting to be allowed back in. A few were run over but the rest swooped the street continuously. One advantage of Britain having the shittiest summer since 1998 is that the skyrat plague appears to have been rained off. And it seems things are on the up for the weathered wet thing as news has just reached me that this is all part of a great effort to clean the beleaguered beast in preparation for its 21st birthday celebrations on 9th August 2007!