Swadhenge? Swadlincote's Roundabout Gets a Rocky Makeover

Just a short hop up the road in Swadlincote, something mysterious has risen. It’s a brand new roundabout redesign that’s left locals... well, a little stony-faced.

The once-green island at the junction of Church Street, Vicarage Road and Civic Way has had a dramatic transformation. Gone are the hanging baskets and lawn in favour of white boulders, brown pebbles, and a set of wire cages filled with rocks (called gabions, if you want to impress someone at a pub quiz).

The result? A mini monument that some have started calling Swadhenge - though perhaps not quite with the reverence of its Wiltshire namesake.

Costing £8,000 and carried out by South Derbyshire District Council under a cultivation licence, the aim was to reduce maintenance risks for workers and create a more sustainable, wildlife-friendly space.

Apparently, the original roundabout was tricky to mow due to the lack of safe parking for staff. The council also promises some autumn planting to soften the look—but for now, it’s all a bit... Jurassic Gravel Pit.

Locals have been quick to pass judgement, with opinions ranging from “unusual” to “prehistoric landscaping on a modern budget”. Critics may have expected a vision of blooming biodiversity, but instead, it’s more “stones and silence”—less Kew Gardens, more Flintstones front drive.

Still, while it might not be everyone’s idea of natural beauty, the council insists the redesign is safer, lower maintenance, and ultimately greener in purpose. And who knows? Once the planting beds in and the wildlife arrives (small creatures with a taste for heavy traffic, presumably), perhaps Swadhenge will become a sacred site after all.

At the very least, it's giving everyone something to talk about—and in these parts, that’s a rare achievement for a roundabout.

Got a local gem (or rock) you think we should cover? Drop us a tip – we promise not to take it for granite.

By the way, here's what our design team were expecting to see when they first heard this story...