Palm Temple in Bristol, England

This kaleidoscopic structure is perhaps Bristol’s most unusual temple Bristol has no shortage of churches, but one of its strangest temples is devoted to nature. Outside the University of Bristol’s School of Chemistry, artist Luke Jerram’s **Palm Temple** resembles a futuristic chapel made of wood and stained glass. Created in 2020 to celebrate the 600th anniversary of Brunelleschi’s famous dome in Florence, it eventually found a permanent home in Jerram’s native Bristol, where he donated it to the university.

The structure is an ingenious architectural illusion. Two halves of a spiralling wooden dome are positioned opposite one another, creating the impression of two giant palms pressed together in prayer. Colourful dichroic panels act like ever-changing stained glass, while a mirrored floor reflects the structure, sky, and surrounding weather.

Suspended inside is Jerram’s **Extinction Bell**, which rings randomly between 150 and 200 times a day. Each toll represents an estimated species becoming extinct somewhere in the world within 24 hours. The bell transforms the pavilion from a beautiful place of contemplation into a quiet warning about the planet’s disappearing biodiversity.

The Palm Temple is part chapel, part kaleidoscope, and part environmental alarm. Open to visitors, it changes constantly with the light and weather, and after dark it glows from within. In a city celebrated for its street art and architecture, it offers an especially unusual place to pause—and listen for the next bell.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter. Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Palm Temple by artist Luke Jerram is located in the cobbled courtyard outside the main entrance to the School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol on Cantock's Close Although it has never been a secret ninja base, this shrine still has plenty of tricks up its sleeve.

Templo del Señor de los Rayos (Temple of the Lord of the Rays) The history of this futuristic crypt-turned-temple is as curious as its facade. This dazzling Buddhist temple was constructed from over one million ceramic tiles salvaged from a British shipwreck. These picturesque structures speckle the hill above the monastery.