The Magic Roundabout is an iconic Swindon landmark that has become a symbol of our town.
The six mini-roundabouts arranged in a circle provide access to Fleming Way, County Road, Drove Road, Queens Drive, and the residential Shrivenham Road, and have done so for just over 50 years.
Photos from Swindon Libraries' Local Studies archive show the roundabout as a work-in-progress in 1972, working as intended after its completion, and a snapshot of a rare traffic accident in 1977 which, fortunately appears to have only been a minor prang.
A clipping from the Evening Adver shows the illustration of the then-new roundabout's layout to show readers how the ambitious concept works in practice.
It reads: "The big roundabout disappears and is replaced by a central island, and it is hoped safer, mini-roundabouts giving space for more vehicles.
"The arrows show how traffic crosses the system from the four lanes of Queens Drive. Drivers will be told by massive signs to go the wrong way around the central island."
Glimpses of the one large roundabout that was there before the Magic happened are hard to come by.
It can be seen in one view from York Road Bridge and Fleming Way in 1960, and at the end of County Road in one 1958 photo.
The oldest image of the site comes from 1913, when there was a canal at Fleming Way, and shows the view to Drove Road bridge.
What a difference a century makes.
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