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Oxford’s iconic shark in roof celebrates 40th anniversary

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It has been exactly four decades today (Monday, August 10) since the 25ft fibreglass sea creature appeared overnight at a terraced house in New High Street.

It was commissioned by Bill Heine, an American-born journalist and broadcaster, who came to Oxford in the 1960s to study at Oxford University.

He worked at BBC Oxford as well as here at the Oxford Mail.

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Bill Heine at the house in Headington. (Image: Newsquest)

The Guardian reported that he came up with the idea while sitting on a doorstep opposite his newly purchased house.

Chatting with his sculptor friend John Buckley over a glass of wine, he asked Mr Buckley: “Can you do something to liven it up?”

He has also said he intended it to be a protest against the American bombing of Libya while also describing it as a statement about nuclear weapons.

Mr Buckley worked with a group of volunteers for three months, building the shark on an artificial roof created outside his studio. No one knew where it was going to be sited.

At 5am on Saturday, August 9, 1986, he drove the shark to New High Street on a tractor-trailer where a large crane was waiting.

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The Headington Shark.The Headington Shark. (Image: Anna Hunter)

The shark was slotted into the roof “just as the postman was passing”, said Mr Buckley.

A six-year planning row immediately erupted.

Oxford City Council opposed the installation, stating that it was dangerous to the public, but engineers and inspectors pronounced it structurally safe.

Mr Heine then submitted a planning application, which was rejected, so he appealed to Michael Heseltine, who was the Environment Secretary at the time.

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The Headington Shark.The Headington Shark. (Image: Magnus Hanson Heine)

The council held public forums where people could speak for or against the sculpture, and people came from far afield to defend what they saw as art.

Mr Heseltine’s planning inspector ultimately came out in favour of the sculpture in a landmark ruling for town planners.

He said the council’s fears about “proliferation with sharks (and heaven knows what else) crashing through roofs all over the city” were “exaggerated”.

To preserve the shark, Bill’s son Magnus bought the house in 2016, and it is now a star attraction on Airbnb.

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The Headington Shark. (Image: Angela Jones)

The property sleeps 12 guests and currently boasts a 4.65 rating on the rental site.

One guest, reviewing his stay, wrote: “A great location, and a fun house. Something to talk about and remember for years later.”

Another said: “Great location, great shark. Had a great time.”

Mr Heine died of cancer, aged 74, in 2019, and tributes flooded in from many locals, including many city councillors.





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Richard Hammond on future of Top Gear and Grand Tour

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The former Top Gear star, 56, said he believes there is still a place for motoring shows and would welcome a return of Top Gear, amid rumours comedian Jimmy Carr could be involved in a reboot.

Speaking to the Metro, Mr Hammond reflected on the enduring popularity of the BBC programme, which he fronted alongside Jeremy Clarkson and James May.

He said: “I think there’s room for car shows looking back at what a wonderful machine the car has been and will continue to be.”

Mr Hammond also backed the future of The Grand Tour, which he presented with Clarkson and May after leaving Top Gear.

The trio are set to make a cameo appearance alongside the show’s new presenting team of James Engelsman, Thomas Holland and Francis Bourgeois.

He said: “We had our time with it. That’s great. That was our Grand Tour, but The Grand Tour can go on with other people doing it, and I wish them all the very best with it. Of course, I do.”

Looking beyond The Grand Tour, Mr Hammond said he would even consider returning to another of his former programmes, Total Wipeout, if given the chance, exclaiming he “loved it”.

Reflecting on Top Gear’s legacy, Mr Hammond said: “It’s really satisfying to have been part of a show that had that effect, that becomes that touchpoint for people.

“We never thought for a second that it would. We set out to make a car show all those years ago.

“It just grew into something that nobody foresaw, and I was really privileged to be a little part of that.”

He added that meeting fans who grew up watching the show makes him proud.

“It makes me mostly proud when people refer to it or come up to me and say they’ve watched it since they were a kid,” he said.

“It makes me feel old because often they’re fully fledged adults in their own right. But there we are.”

During the interview, Mr Hammond also spoke about his daughter Izzy Hammond’s crash in a Formula E car earlier this year.

The 25-year-old crashed into a wall at the Jeddah circuit but walked away unharmed.

The incident drew comparisons with Mr Hammond’s own near-fatal 2006 crash while filming Top Gear, when he crashed a jet-powered dragster at almost 300mph.

He admitted he felt “a little uncomfortable” watching from the sidelines.

“I’m a father, like any other father. I don’t want to see my little girl hurt, but I don’t want to hold her back from opportunities that present themselves,” he said.

“She’s carving her own career, so I can sit back and watch her do that and only applaud.”





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Jeremy Clarkson’s Cotswolds farm shop ranked best in UK

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Diddly Squat Farm Shop sits in the Cotswolds, near the village of Chadlington, just outside Chipping Norton in West Oxfordshire.

It has topped the list in a ranking by the country lifestyle experts at Welligogs, who analysed Tripadvisor ratings, Google review scores and Instagram following to reveal the UK’s highest-scoring farm shops.

Tess Annan, manager at Welligogs, told the Express: “Farm shops are such an important part of the British countryside experience because they give visitors the opportunity to experience a destination beyond its traditional tourist attractions.

“Whether you’re picking up locally produced food, stopping for lunch or simply browsing what a farm has to offer, visiting a farm shop can be a lovely way to slow down and experience the character of the surrounding countryside.

“Diddly Squat is obviously one of the country’s most recognisable farm shops, but what’s particularly interesting about this ranking is that there are so many brilliant alternatives across the UK.”

Diddly Squat Farm Shop scored 3.7 stars on Tripadvisor, 4.4 on Google, and boasts 2.8 million Instagram followers.

It was opened by the former Top Gear presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, in 2020, and features in the hit Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm.

The shop sells produce from the 1,000-acre farm as well as locally sourced food and drink, including meat, honey, jams, chutneys, cheeses, and Hawkstone beer.

Its popularity has made it a major visitor attraction, with customers regularly travelling from across the UK to visit.





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UK pub chain announces great value concept at its locations

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Cornerstone Pubs, introduced on August 26, is part of a strategy to bring together some of Greene King’s existing value and carvery venues under a single concept focused on community pubs.

Greene King, which operates around 2,600 pubs across the UK, including 18 in Oxfordshire, said the move is not a large-scale rebranding, but rather a consolidation of select venues.

Speaking to the Daily Express, Clair Preston Beer, chief digital and commercial officer at Greene King, said: “Cornerstone Pubs helps to strengthen our value-led offering in local communities across the country, bringing together our existing value and carvery formats to enhance customer experience and drive operational excellence.”

Customers are not expected to notice immediate changes, as the pubs will retain their current branding for now, and staff and management teams will remain in place.

However, Greene King has indicated that future updates to menus and entertainment options could be introduced at these locations.

Cornerstone Pubs will operate alongside Greene King’s other pub brands, including Chef & Brewer, Flaming Grill, and Wacky Warehouse.

The launch coincides with wider changes across Greene King’s estate, including a review of 65 pubs for potential sale and plans announced earlier this year to convert 150 venues into tenanted pubs.

These changes are unrelated to the Cornerstone Pubs rollout.

Greene King’s focus remains on supporting its core estate while exploring new ways to deliver value and improve the customer experience in neighbourhood pubs.





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