Have You Seen the Famous Shark House?

Are you even a shark lover if you don’t have a giant shark sculpture sticking out of your shark house?

I am kidding! But if you could have a massive shark sticking out of your roof, would you do it? In 1986 Bill Heine decided he would not let the politics stop him from placing a giant shark statue on top of his roof.

The Shark House

A 25-foot tall fibreglass and steel sculpture stands on top of a roof in the UK. This installation was completed on August 9th, 1986. It was commissioned by Bill Heine, the house owner, and conducted by sculptor John Buckley.

While the enormous shark might make you think of Sharknado movies, it has nothing to do with sharks. Bill Heine was affected by seeing planes fly over his house when he purchased the home. The aeroplanes were going to bomb Tripoli in Libya. He wondered about the people affected by these bombings and what horrors they saw when they looked up to the sky.

The giant shark poking out of a roof stops us in our tracks, and we can’t help but be in shock and awe. The shark’s clear message is supposed to convey opposition to wars.

All wars did was destroy people’s lives and homes. Heine’s message is still relevant today as we watch in horror as one country attacks another for their land.

The other reason why Bill Heine installed the large shark sculpture on his house was that he wanted to prove that he could. He did not believe that the government should have the power to censor what art people get to see. For years he fought with the government to allow him to keep his sculpture.

The long struggle led Bill Heine to write a book entitled “The Hunting of the Shark.”

Today, the house is marked as a protected landmark. If you’d like to see this impressive shark sculpture, you can visit the house and even book to stay overnight.