People are only just learning why some windows have bizarre circles on them

You probably walk past countless windows every day, but have you ever noticed these bizarre circles some of them have? The chances are you'll notice them every time, from now!

Many people who have noticed them are only just realising why they are there, and have been left quite fascinated by them. History explorer and storyteller Wayne Stephen recently took to his TikTok page @wayne_history to ask his followers if they'd ever seen these "round bits on windows". He informed them they are actually called bullseyes.

Explaining why they are there, Wayne said: "They date back to medieval times. Back then the way of creating glass was that you would blow the glass and you would spin it very fast to create a big circle.

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"Now, the flat bits at the end of the circle you would cut off, and they'd be fairly flat pieces of glass that you could use in a regular window. But, the bit in the middle would often be reused.

"In cases where it wouldn't be reused, it would be sold off cheaper to make windows like this."

Wayne explained that some people would buy the glass with circles on purpose, because "you can let light through but it distorts the view".

That means you could have a front door with glass on it, but because of the circles people can't see inside, but you'll still be letting light in.

In the comment section people were happy to finally find out why the circles existed. "I never knew that!! Actually quite interesting," said one person. Another wrote: "I have always wondered this!" while a third commented: "Funny seen them all my life but never knew that. You learn something every day."

Historian Alice Loxton also explained on TikTok why some old shops and pubs have these circular shapes on some of their windows. She said: "In medieval times the way that window glass was made was similar to blowing glass. A blob of molten glass was picked up on a pontil and span rapidly to form a disc."

While the circular mark would often be remelted, she added: "Sometimes the bit in the middle was not re-melted and it was sold off cheap for low status buildings, often pubs."

"And you might often see them in front doors, because whilst they can allow sunlight in, they don't give a clear view into the house, so it does give you some privacy."

You can often see these on old pubs, and if you want be guaranteed to see some in person, you can head to Goodwin's Court in Covent Garden, London.