Ill wind: Country Life readers say no to turbines

Motorways and service stations also rank highly in the poll, which sought nominations on buildings and structures that blight the UK.

Second and third on the list are New Street rail station in Birmingham, and Oxfordshire's Didcot Power Station.

The majority of readers voted for examples that affected them locally, the magazine said.

BRITAIN'S 'WORST EYESORES' 1. Windfarms 2. Birmingham New Street station 3. Oxfordshire's Didcot Power Station. 4. Battersea Power Station 5. Electricity pylons 6. 1960s Basingstoke 7. Motorways 8. Knightsbridge Barracks 9. Edinburgh's St James Shopping Centre 10. M1 service stations

"Some chose buildings they considered to be badly designed and thus insensitive to their surroundings," it said.

But the magazine expressed surprise at the inclusion in the top 10 of Knightsbridge Barracks, in London.

It defended Basil Spence's high-rise structure as a "dramatically modern and uncompromising building".

The inclusion of New Street station was more predictable, it said, calling the terminus an "airless and confusing warren housing one of the country's most important rail interchanges".

Leading figures with a background in art, architecture and design were asked to show how they might redesign an eyesore of their choice.

Janet Street Porter, the Independent on Sunday's editor-at large, chose to demolish the Victoria Shopping Centre in Harrogate.

Without a doubt it has to be London - dirty, rubbish strewn and full of decaying buildings Ben Bell, England Send us your nominations

Architect John McAslan took it upon himself to radically redesign Heathrow, which he described as "the world's worst airport".

Alan Powers, design historian and architect, recommended a streamlining of the 1950s Bowater House, on London's Hyde Park.

Artist Hugh Buchanan suggested Edinburgh University's 1970s Appleton Tower be redesigned as an 18th-century tenement block.