Tolworth Tower garnered widespread attention recently after the appearance of a red lightning bolt carving down its face.

The story behind it is one of the more remarkable — and significant — tales to emerge from Britain's recent cultural history, and speaks to the dynamic past contributions of Tolworth, Surbiton and Kingston.

Many people recognized immediately that the red lightning bolt design was a homage to pop legend David Bowie and in particular his alter ego Ziggy Stardust.

It was placed on the building after the revelation that this world-famous Bowie persona — and the associated music and aesthetics — were first performed live at a pub just opposite the Tolworth Tower.

Thank you for this amazing shot of the Bowie 'lightening bolt' celebrating 48 years since he premiered Ziggy Stardust at The Toby Jug pub that was opposite Tolworth Tower in February 1972. @SHEDx_org @RBKingston @KingstonUni #shedx #tolworthmatters pic.twitter.com/ZrgXYWXfxq

— The Community Brain (@communitybrain) February 13, 2020

The gig at The Toby Jug pub happened 48 years ago, almost to the day, in February 1972.

Bowie went on to release 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' in June 1972, and won lasting global acclaim for its innovative approach.

The Tolworth Tower's homage to this incredible piece of history in the area was brought to life through Tolworth-based community project SHEDx, run by local company The Community Brain.

The community leader praised Meadow Partners, the owners of Tolworth Tower, who support the SHEDx project and backed the lightning bolt idea to its completion.

As for getting the lightning bolt onto the side of the building itself, it just took the elbow grease of some passionate residents, armed with a simple if ambitious idea and the will to turn it into reality.

SHEDx and The Community Brain are continuing to promote the Tolworth, Kingston and Surbiton area with a number of resident-led community projects, and are planning more Bowie-themed tributes ahead of the 50th anniversay of Ziggy Stardust in 2022.