A colossal 60-foot robot, once a centerpiece of a pop band's world tour, has become an unsettling fixture in the English countryside after being left behind at the former estate of UK pop star Robbie Williams. Residents have nicknamed the mechanical giant "Om," and its presence has unnerved locals who encounter it lurking among the trees.
The animatronic figure debuted as part of a massive $20 million stage set for Take That's 2011 world tour. Williams, a prominent member of the band and a successful solo artist, previously owned the sprawling mansion in Compton Bassett, Wiltshire. He has since purchased property in Florida.
When Williams sold the Wiltshire property, the towering robot remained on the estate, gradually becoming part of the landscape. Drivers and dog walkers passing by have reported being startled by the sight of the hulking figure peering out from the foliage.
One resident, Sarah Spencer, described her initial reaction as disbelief. "When I first saw it I had to turn around and go back to see what I thought I’d seen," Spencer told Talker News. "It caught me completely off guard but I was intrigued. I thought someone had built a Wicker Man."
Liz Neve, another villager, noted the robot's position along the road creates an eerie effect. "It’s such a perfect location as it just seems to emerge from nowhere and then as you drive alongside it, it seems to withdraw back into the foliage," Neve said. She also joked about locals potentially re-enacting scenes from the horror film "The Wicker Man."
Neither Robbie Williams nor representatives for the estate have commented on why the prop was not removed or if there are any plans for its future.
