Hidden away within a block of flats in Hinckley, Leicestershire, is the product of ten years’ hard work, over £4000 and the estimated equivalent of hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of labour costs. Mr Tony Alleyne has spent a large part of his life lovingly recreating the bridge of the Star Ship Enterprise in his one bedroom flat and he looks set to lose it all in a messy divorce.
The doorbell rings with the sound of Patrick Stewart’s dulcet tones, the consoles are voice activated, and the panels flash at his command. Everywhere one looks, the detail is astonishing; up to and including the man himself who is more than happy to pose in full Starfleet uniform.
His wife, however, wants to sell up and is reported to be fully intending to offer buyers a more ‘conventional’ home. Having paid the mortgage on the flat since their separation 10 years previous, Mrs Alleyne will likely get her way.
The story has acted as something of a catalyst, with anecdotal evidence of other drastic home decorations. One example is that of a council house decorated as homage to Pippa Middleton, with her svelte figure painted squarely (or rather curvaceously) on the roof. Apparently the occupant faces eviction following complaints – perhaps the first people ever to complain about Pippa’s figure.
With a cost predicted at £100,000 or more to rebuild the Star Trek abode elsewhere, it seems there will be no saving the full size transportation console replica, the command console hooked up directly to the lighting system or the lovingly created transporter pads.
Mr Alleyne is reported to be keen to Klingon to his property….
“Building this has been like a dream. I had a vision and I’m really amazed at what I managed to achieve with just hard work.
“Some people might think I’m a bit of a sad individual, but I’m not. I’m just really into Star Trek – it’s my only vice.â€
Either way, the flat seems destined to be returned to its original condition, but one can’t help but think that Mrs Alleyne might be missing a trick. Maybe there is a Trekky out there who would pay vastly over the odds for their own Starship? A galactic bidding war waiting to happen if you ask us.