Scilly Isles, Surrey

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The Scilly Isles is an area and landmark between the English towns of Esher and Kingston-upon-Thames, and mark one of the boundaries of Thames Ditton.

The area acquired its name during the 1930s when the then new Kingston by-pass road rejoined the original route of the Portsmouth Road that was then the A3 road, now the A307. A series of roundabouts were produced at the busy (for the 1930s) intersection; in those days they were a novelty and in common parlance were called 'traffic islands'. The complexity of the layout caused them to be called the 'silly islands' which, as the name became accepted, evolved into 'the Scilly Isles'. This name is now well established as will be seen from maps of that area.