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This way to Narnia: Mysterious road signs appear in English town
Fictional locations appear in roundabout signs in Didcot, Oxfordshire, leading to Narnia, Gotham City, Neverland, Emerald City and Middle Earth.
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Several fictional places such as Narnia and Gotham City have been added to road signs at Didcot, Oxfordshire. Narnia is a magical place taken from a classic children's literature 'The Chronicles of Narnia', accessed through a wardrobe. (Shutterstock/ Khomenko Maryna)
The way to Narnia is not through a wardrobe after all.
In fact, you can turn into a roundabout in the English town of Didcot and follow the route towards Power Station 'A', according to one of some five road signs that saw fictional locations added to them in the past week.
British broadcaster BBC reported on Monday (March 19) that besides Narnia, the roundabout signs in the Oxfordshire town seemingly also lead motorists to Gotham City, Neverland, Emerald City and Middle Earth.
Many residents shared photos of the amusing sight on social media, but the city council has called it an act of vandalism and raised concerns that it could distract drivers.
"We will investigate as soon as the weather improves," the Oxfordshire County Council told BBC.
"While on the surface amusing, it is vandalism and a potential distraction for drivers."
Resident Charlotte Westgate told local media that she saw a hooded man in his 20s adding the words "Gotham City" to a sign last Friday afternoon, though his identity remains unknown.
She said: "He was on his own, and didn't seem worried that anyone might be looking at him, but no one driving past did anything to stop him."
Mayor Jackie Billington said that the unusual events have shown that Didcot, recently described as the "most normal town in England" by researchers, is more than that.
She said: "It proves yet again, that Didcot is more than just a 'normal' town, it's quite quirky now with the new signage."
Speaking to local newspaper Oxford Mail on Monday, Ms Billington quipped that her favourite is the sign for Narnia.
"It's quite fitting that there's still a lot of snow around," she said.
However, she added that the signs will have to be removed at some point and that it could be a costly job.
Didcot’s most recognisable feature is the coal-fired Didcot A Power Station, which was running for 43 years before it was turned off in 2013.
In February last year (2017), a part of its boiler house collapsed when the power station was preparing for demolition. Four workers were killed.
