A sculptor has commemorated a popular Isle of Wight myth with a statue of an alien.

David Jones, from Goldsmith's University in London, spent nine months creating a full size figure of an alien alleged to have visited the Isle of Wight.

The Sandown Clown is alleged to have been sighted on the footpaths around Sandown Airport and on Lake Common in 1973.

The sighted alien was encountered by two holidaying children, who described the being to be part alien, part robot and part clown.

The sculpture was transported to Sandown AirportThe sculpture was transported to Sandown Airport (Image: Contributed)

Despite talking to the children for about half an hour before they returned to their parents, The Sandown Clown has never been seen again.

Sculptor David Jones first discovered the story after reading through old BUFORA (British UFO Research Association) journals, about a decade ago.

David said: "The account of two children encountering a strange figure near Sandown Airport in 1973 stood out as a unique piece of local folklore that had largely been forgotten.

"It intrigued me because it wasn’t just another UFO story; it had a peculiar charm and an almost mythic quality that felt worth exploring further."

David hopes that the sculpture will add to the work people have done to tell the story already, citing Marek Larwood's re-treading of the pathways around Sandown Airport, and several podcasts that recount the sighting.

David said: "By celebrating this obscure yet compelling legend, I hope the sculpture can encourage people to engage with local myths and see them as opportunities for cultural regeneration.

"I also hope the sculpture my co-creator Natalia and I made contributes in its own way to the evolving narrative, and continues to spark interest in how folklore can shape our understanding of a place."

The figure is now on display in Sandown Airport after being transported to the Island.