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All the United Kingdom England Woking 'The Martian'

'The Martian'

An enormous alien invades Woking, England, as an homage to the H.G. Wells classic 'The War of the Worlds.'

Woking, England

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meltingknight
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The sculpture.   Warofdreams/cc by-sa 2.0
A different angle of the sculture.   reidrac/cc by-sa 2.0
An illustration from the original book.   Henrique Alvim Correa/public domain
The Cylinder   AdOYo / Atlas Obscura User
The Martian   AdOYo / Atlas Obscura User
Plaque beneath the Martian   AdOYo / Atlas Obscura User
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About

An alien has landed in Woking, England. Thankfully, though, this one won’t go on any destructive rampages.

The Martian was installed by artist Michael Condron to commemorate the 100th anniversary of H.G. Wells' classic The War of the Worlds. In the book, one of the famous tripods lands and wreaks havoc in Horsell Common, which is not far from Woking.

While walking down the street, it’s hard to miss this enormous alienesque artwork. The Martian stands 23 feet (seven meters) tall, and its spindly legs are only seven inches (17 centimeters) thick.

There are three components to the sculpture: the Cylinder, Bacteria, and the Tripod itself. Slabs bearing images of the bacteria cover the ground below the capsule. You can see an alien's tentacles poke out of the bottom of the probe. Its back is turned to Horsell Common, where the UFO comes from in the novel. It's made of stainless steel and has a chrome finish.

Related Tags

Aliens Pop Culture Science Fiction Sculptures Art Public Art Roadside Attractions Literature Books

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You can walk by the sculpture at any time.

Community Contributors

Added By

meltingknight

Edited By

Kerry Wolfe, AdOYo

  • Kerry Wolfe
  • AdOYo

Published

December 11, 2018

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Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woking
  • http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/73011.stm
  • https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/feb/28/woking-homage-hg-wells-anniversary-war-of-the-worlds
'The Martian'
Chobham Rd
Woking, England
United Kingdom
51.320483, -0.555524
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Nearby Places

The Sandpit on Horsell Common

Woking, England

miles away

Holy Well of St. John the Baptist

Bisley, England

miles away

Brooklands Racetrack Remains

Weybridge, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Woking

Woking

England

Places 2

Nearby Places

The Sandpit on Horsell Common

Woking, England

miles away

Holy Well of St. John the Baptist

Bisley, England

miles away

Brooklands Racetrack Remains

Weybridge, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Woking

Woking

England

Places 2

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