Here we feature photos from the Oxford Mail archive in the 1980s.
It was a decade when the U’s celebrated promotion, the tourist attraction the Oxford Story was launched, and the now famous landmark the Headington Shark divided opinion.
The shark sculpture 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 and the Oxford Mail.
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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, when he asked Mr Buckley: “Can you do something to liven it up?”
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 go.
On Saturday August 9, 1986, at 5am, he drove the shark to New High Street on a tractor trailer where a large crane was waiting.
The shark was slotted into the roof “just as the postman was passing”, said Mr Buckley.
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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 - then the Environment Secretary.
The council held public forums where people could speak for or against the sculpture. 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.
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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.
Mr Heine died aged 74, in 2019.
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Read more from this authorThis story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF
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