Chicken roundabout tribute goes up at A143 at Ditchingham

Gordon Knowles is forever linked to the so-called Chicken Roundabout in Ditchingham, near Bungay.

And now a special tribute has been put up in honour of the late Mr Knowles in the form of an information board telling his remarkable story.

Mr Knowles would rise at the crack of dawn for more than three decades to take a wheelbarrow of food to feed the wild birds on the traffic measure.

Gordon Knowles pictured with chickens on Chicken Roundabout (Image: Keiron Tovell)

In doing so, he catapulted the junction on the A143 to national prominence and was honoured with a plaque on Bungay's Falcon Bridge in 2012.

Ditchingham Parish Council had been in dispute with Norfolk County Council for many years about putting a tribute on the roundabout to Mr Knowles who passed in 2020.

Due to safety concerns of drivers parish councillors were unable to install one.

But now the parish council has gained permission to put up a lectern-style information board.

The new lectern-style information board in honour of the history of the roundabout and to commemorate Gordon Knowles (Image: Ditchingham Parish Council)

Keith Weston, chair of Ditchingham Parish Council said: "We are very pleased that after all this time we got something in at the roundabout to commemorate Gordon Knowles.

"And also it is pleasing because the information board celebrates the local name of the roundabout, 'Chicken Roundabout'.

"It is very famous and the history must be treasured and remembered for what it was for years and years, it put the roundabout in the national spotlight as it was very unique."

Gordon Knowles out on his bike to feed the chickens (Image: Supplied)

READ MORE: Tributes to ‘Ole Chicken Man of Bungay’ after his death

Mr Knowles' daily ritual became so successful that at its height the roundabout's flock numbered more than 300 cocks and hens, before the final few were taken away by animal charities early last decade. 

Speaking in 2016, Mr Knowles said: "As I made my way home from swimming at Bungay Common one morning, I saw a bag of corn which had fallen off a lorry and split open, so I swept it up and fed the chickens.

"They were standing by the gate of the land owned by Frank James who happened to be standing there and he said 'They think it's Christmas Day' and I said 'Let them have Christmas every day' and that's how it started."

Alan Gaskin (left) and Gordon Knowles with the 'Chicken Roundabout Game' taken by Andy Darnell (Image: Andy Darnell)