Mystery of what lies beneath UK’s ‘dystopian’ Spaghetti Junction can now be revealed
Tours of one of the UK’s most iconic motorway junctions have proved so popular they’ve already sold out.
For just £13.50, people were offered the chance to take a guided walk beneath the famous Spaghetti Junction.
Over the weekend, they got a rare glimpse underneath Britain’s busiest motorway section on the M6 in Birmingham.
The £10,000,000 roadway was opened in 1972 and was given its famed nickname because of its winding complexity across 30 acres of land.
It even featured in the Guinness Book of Records as ‘the most complex interchange on the British road system’ thanks to its 559 concrete columns that can reach as high as 80ft.
Yesterday, a dozen punters toured the Gravelly Hill Interchanged and explored canals, rivers, a park, a lake, wildlife, and street art.
Physiotherapist William James, 27, who’s recently moved to Birmingham, was one of the enthusiasts to embark on the Explore Birmingham tour.
He said: ‘I actually really like how it looks. It’s quite strange and dystopian. Everyone has seen it from above but I’ve never been beneath it before.
‘The tour stood out to me because I find things commonly thought of as being undesirable or ugly innately interesting.
‘I’m aware there’s distaste towards things like Spaghetti Junction and it not being something to be proud of in Britain.
‘But stuff like this a crucial part of our history.
‘I just wanted to take the opportunity to do it and be informed by somebody who is passionate about it as well.
‘It’s been really good. I now like Spaghetti Junction even more than I thought I did.’
Tour guide Al Hassall 49, said: ‘It’s just unique to Birmingham, you don’t really get places that look like that here.
‘I believe the popularity is down to it being a lot more interesting historically than people think.
“Everyone knows it. It’s synonymous with Birmingham for not so great reasons. It was a hugely impressive feat of engineering in the first place.
‘But most people don’t realise it’s got a complex water system below it. It’s got a lot of history. There was a whole community and shops that were lost. “For me, I live nearby, but had never actually been under it. I only went underneath it 18 months ago and it’s not as loud as you think.’
Spaghetti Junction isn’t the only attraction on the M6 that piques drivers’ interest.The £14,000,000 space age Pennine Tower was granted listed building status in 2012 after opening in 1965.