National Trust investigating mystery monolith on Isle of Wight beach
The National Trust launched an investigation after a mysterious monolith appeared on an Isle of Wight beach it owns without its permission.
The appearance of the unexplained monument, reminiscent of something from a science fiction movie, follows similar sightings in the US and Romania which went viral on social media.
The monolith appeared this weekend on Compton Beach, which is partly owned by the Trust, which said it was caught unawares by the bizarre development.
A spokesman said: “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 Crown Estate, which owns the foreshore around the bay, is also investigating whether the monolith is on its land. The National Trust said its ranger believed the monolith was above the foreshore.
The previous monoliths in America were claimed by an anonymous collective called The Most Famous Artist.
When asked by the New York Times about the Isle of Wight monolith it stoked the mystery saying the monolith is “out of my control at this point”. It added: “Godspeed to all the aliens working hard around the globe to propagate the myth.”
The National Trust said it had no idea who is responsible for the Isle of Wight installation. A spokesman added: “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.”
It is roughly 7.5ft high and is wooden but covered with reflective plastic.
