Produced:
May 28th 2008
Credits:
Tom White Last year Tom White made this short experimental film documenting Swindon's infamous 'Magic Roundabout'. Using layered sound and abstract images, the film is collaged with soundbites from local residents and an unsettling soundtrack. The film is intended as a homage to the late Frank Blackmore, of the British Transport and Road Research Laboratory, inventor of the mini roundabout.
Swindon's famous example was constructed in 1972 according to the design of Frank Blackmore, under the control of Highways engineer Jeff Maycock of Swindon Council.
The official name of the roundabout used to be 'County Islands' but was changed in the late 1980s to match it's popular name 'The Magic Roundabout'. It inspired the song 'English Roundabout', a Pop song by the Swindon ban XTC, which was recorded for their 1982 album 'English Settlement'.
A calender is produced each year by the UK Roundabout Appreciation Society depicting the town's finest examples. In 2005 it was voted the worst roundabout by a UK Insurance company. In 2009 it was voted the 4th scariest junction in Britain in a poll by Brittania Rescue! However, the roundabout provides a better throughput of traffic than other designs and actually has an excellent safety record, since traffic moves too slowly to do serious damage in the event of a collision.
- Login to post comments
- Flag as offensive
Email this page
Recently Added
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Latest Swindon News
- Two Swindon men sentenced for £75,000 drug stash
- Teenager arrested on suspicion of theft and possession of cannabis
- Adver's pic of half term fun for the family
- Today in 1973 lone yachtsman Chay Blyth visited Swindon
- Beautiful moments captured on film
- HONDA CLOSURE: My heart goes out to the workers but we'll adapt to change, says expert
- Extras wanted for Steven Spielberg war film
- Post Office dismisses rumours of closure of Liden branch
- Free doughnuts for Triple Two Coffee customers tomorrow to celebrate its third birthday
- Rats, urine and old TVs - what’s in the trash piles?
- GIG OF THE WEEK: Ferocious Dog bring out the 'Hell Hounds'
- Drugs arrests after Wroughton crash today
- RAF Tornados passing over Swindon for last time this afternoon
- Last Tornado flights marked by flypast in West of England
- Thursday morning traffic report
- 'I found Auschwitz a lot to take in... it was emotional'
- PM put on the spot over Honda decision and Brexit at PMQs
- Council spends much less than most on awards, research shows
- Corbynista @Rachael_Swindon not keen on Independent Group MPs
- Theresa May to be urged to 'help Honda families'
There are no comments for "Swindon's Magic Roundabout".