AS house party conversation pieces go, it's a stellar attraction. After all, not every home can claim to have a bit of Star Wars kit in the kitchen.

But tucked away in the corner of Jenny Lloyd and JD Duncan's place in St Dunstan's Close, Worcester is part of the nose cone of a Bols Roll racing pod, one of the exotic space vehicles which appeared in the Phantom Menace One film.

Admittedly it doesn't look too threatening now, because JD has turned it into a wine cooler.

The nose cone is a memento of the days JD - he was born in Canada as James Duncan, but no one knows him as that - worked on the sets of movies like Star Wars, Superman and Raiders Of The Lost Ark.

A master carpenter and self-taught designer and airbrush artist, his early career in Canada included a spell as a set builder for Disney.

But after coming over to England in the mid-1980s, he linked up with Gavin Bouquet, production designer for Star Wars.

"We worked out of Leavesden Studios, near Watford," said JD. "It was the old Rolls Royce jet engine testing airfield, so of course there was plenty of space."

The huge hangars were turned into workshops where sets and props were made. JD was carpenter No. 5 out of 106.

"The space vehicles, which looked in the films as if they were made out of metal, were actually from wood and plastic," he added.

"One of those I worked on was the Bols Roll racing pod, a two-engined creation. But for Phantom Menace there was a mix-up on the design and they ditched the version I was involved with. I kept the nose cone as a souvenir, chopped it in half, covered the outside with plaster and turned it into a drinks cooler. At least it came in useful."

Examples of JD's talent are all over the house and garden, which he and Jenny have transformed over the last six years.

On the walls hang stunning originals of the airbrush paintings for book covers, computer games and album sleeves. A renowned "speed painter", JD could produce in hours what took other artists days.

His carpentry work includes the staircase, wall panelling and superb sun room with self designed and laid mosaic floor.

Jenny took charge of the overall design of the garden with most of the labour, plus some more inspiration, provided by her three sons Eden, Brecon and Tarum.

Fifty tons of clay was dug out, removed and replaced by equivalent top soil and a whole host of exotic, but hardy, plants introduced.

There are special corners like a bog garden, a lily pond, a reed bed, even a secluded basketball court, hidden away among the lawns and trees.

The whole lot is now for sale for a shade under £400,000 and there's an open day on Sunday, Sept 18 between 10.30am and 12.30pm.

Maybe a few occupants of interplanetary craft might drop in.