Magic Tap

Endlessly gushing out water without any obvious source, the now removed Magic Tap at Hampton Court was a dazzling real-life optical illusion. Discovering that the bright pink faucet is actually connected to a pipe that runs up its stream can be a little disheartening, but take a few steps back and marvel at the illusion, and hopefully that can bring a smile back to your face.

Besides the Tap at Hampton Court, a number of other Magic Taps employing similar trick architecture exist around the world, with the most notable being at Aqualand in Cadiz, Spain and a giant smurf-colored fountain near the ring-road in Ypres, Belgium.