A traditional Chinese building, a cinema, and an aircraft are just some of the unusual features found in the middle of Britain’s roundabouts. Now motoring experts from Leasecar.uk have scoured the length of the country to reveal five weird and wonderful traffic island centre pieces.
While many roundabouts are plain and mundane there are a number of unconventional islands hidden among Britain’s roads.
Tim Alcock from Leasecar.uk said: “Britain’s roads are full of hidden quirks which is why we went in search for some of the most unusual. What we ended up finding were five very unorthodox roundabouts that will cause motorists to do a double take.
“These quirky traffic islands will brighten up any motorist’s dull commute but it’s important not to be distracted by the junctions otherwise you could end up in the middle of the them.”
Here are five of Leasecar.uk quirkiest roundabouts:
The magic roundabout
One of the most complex junctions’ drivers will face in their time on the roads is located in the heart of Swindon. This testing section features one large roundabout filled with five mini islands that can leave drivers confused by this maze-like road junction.
The roundabout has proved so popular that it has become an actual tourist attraction where motoring aficionados can even buy a t-shirt with the slogan “I survived Swindon’s Magic Roundabout”.
Otford duck pond
If motorists ever find themselves passing through the idyllic village of Otford in Kent, they may encounter an award-winning roundabout. That is because Otford features the only known roundabout with a pond in the middle. This traffic island won the prestigious roundabout of the year award in 2014 and hasn’t looked back since.
Spitfire island
One of the finest roundabout designs in Britain can be found on the A47 near Birmingham. Situated near the birthplace of famous fighter aircraft the Spitfire, this roundabout represents and remembers a crucial part of this country’s history.
A large metal sculpture of three Spitfires sits in the middle of the junction to pay homage to the pilots and crews who lost their lives during the war.
The pagoda roundabout
An oriental take on the British roundabout can be found in Birmingham’s city centre. Featuring a 40 ft high granite carving of a traditional Chinese pagoda building this roundabout looks more like an ancient Chinese landmark than a road junction. The tall sculpture is also surrounded by a Feng Shui garden making it one of the more surreal roundabouts in Britain.
The sculpture was donated by two Chinese brothers in 1998 who lived in Birmingham. It’s located on the inner-city ring road with around 60,000 motorists using the junction every day.
BFI roundabout
London’s answer to a quirky roundabout can be found in the city’s South Bank district. Here one of the roundabouts is so large that it features its own cinema. Motorists negotiating the traffic island will drive around one of the British Film Institute’s main London cinemas.
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