A HOUSE with a shark sticking out of the roof has been given recognized heritage status by Oxford councillors despite objection from the owner. The shark structure made by Bill Heine and sculptor John Buckley in 1986 has become an officially recognized structure following a vote by city councillors. The 7.6-meter sculpture joins the Oxford Heritage Asset Register alongside 16 other local landmarks, reported OxfordshireLive. The register is a list of places, structures and buildings that are locally significant in Oxford and have made a “special contribution to the character” of the area. The fibreglass Headington Shark was nominated because of its “historic interest” — it was erected on the anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing — as well as its artistic merits. During a meeting of Oxford City Council’s Planning Committee, councillors unanimously approved the addition of the Headington Shark to the city’s asset register. The move comes despite the opposition of the shark’s owner, Magnus Hanson-Heine, the son of Bill Heine. Just hours before the meeting, he posted a video to Twitter saying he was “determined” to stop it being added to the register. “It was put up by my dad and sculptor John Buckley in 1986 on the anniversary of the bombing in Nagasaki as a protest against state-sponsored warfare, bombing and censorship through the planning laws,” he said. “It was put up intentionally without planning permission, there was a six year battle to ultimately keep it. “Recently, the Oxford City Council is looking to list this property, essentially doing the opposite in reverse. I’m determined to stop that.” Installed Aug. 9, 1986, the Headington Shark protrudes from the roof of a terraced house on New High Street in Oxford. Former homeowner Bill Heine commissioned the sculpture, and it was designed to be a protest against planning restrictions and censorship. Hanson-Heine, a quantum chemist, inherited the house from his late dad Bill in 2016 and it is now a star attraction on Airbnb. Hanson-Heine said: “My father always resisted giving any conclusive answer to the question what was the meaning of it, as it was designed to make people think for themselves, and decide for themselves what is art.” (SD-Agencies) | 