A monolith - which mysteriously appeared on an Isle of Wight beach - remains at Compton Bay this morning (Monday), as speculation grows over how it got there.
Mystery surrounds the mirrored structure, which was first discovered yesterday morning (Sunday).
It is one of four to have suddenly appeared worldwide - there have also been sightings in Romania, Utah and California.
It is not known where any of them came from, or why they were put there. All, except the Isle of Wight's monolith, have now disappeared.
Dozens of people have gathered to see the object, which stands at about 8 feet tall.
According to one Islander, it has moved to a different spot overnight. Monica, from Ryde, said it was covered in sand when she went to see it this morning.
"I came down yesterday (Sunday) just for a wander and to see the surfers. And then I saw what I call an obelisk and I went up and took pictures of it and posted them [online].
"I didn't think too much about it, I thought it was just very interesting... Then I came back this morning and I noticed it had fallen over and been moved.
"I know it has fallen over because it's dirty at the top. I keep cleaning it with kitchen towel!"
Islanders have taken to social media to have their say about how it got there.
Photo by Carole McFarlane.
Pictures taken this morning appear to show the bottom of the structure 'eroded away'. Wooden timbers can be seen propping it up.
Those at Chale Bay Farm, also situated along Military Road, say the timbers prove the structure is 'man-made'.
A spokesperson for The National Trust told Isle of Wight Radio:
"We were unaware of the monolith’s presence until this morning, but we’ve now visited Compton Beach and it seems secure on a wooden plinth and is made from mirrored sections of plastic or perspex material.
“We are still assessing it so we have no immediate plans to remove it but of course we need to monitor over the next few days to ensure the beach remains safe and does not become overcrowded.
“The National Trust looks after large amounts of land which is protected for its importance for wildlife, nature and archaeology. To prevent the risk of damaging important sites, we insist that anybody who wishes to put up something on our land must always contact us first.”
Photo by Alice Williams.
Island MP Bob Seely said:
“Compton is one of the most beautiful stretches of beach in Britain, and is near 120-million-year-old dinosaur footprint casts. Its is also a very historic place, even by the Island’s standards as it, along with Brook, Brighstone and Sandown beaches, generally produce the richest dinosaur finds in Europe. A new dinosaur was discovered on the Island this August - a relative of T Rex.
"It's fascinating that this sculpture has popped up, although it is a pristine beach and I hope that won’t change.”
Rumours had circulated that the monolith could be a message from aliens, due to the similarities with Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
There had been speculation that pictures of the monolith were 'photoshopped' - but that has proved not to be the case.
*UPDATED 3.18pm
Hundreds of Islanders have been seen congregating at the beach to take a look at the mysterious mirror type sculpture.
According to Sky News, others in remote parts of the world are being linked with an anonymous collective called "The Most Famous Artist", which is selling them for nearly 34-thousand pounds.
Watch a video of Isle of Wight Radio's Iona who went down to see the structure this morning.
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