Eyesore or Icon?

It’s an emotive question — can electricity pylons ever be pretty?
For most of us they are a fact of life, the backbone of the nation’s power transmission network.
But to my mind they can never be icons, however much they have become a necessary part of the landscape.
Take these on the water meadows on the western outskirts of Southampton, carrying powerlines from the generating station on the shores of Southampton Water.
The River Test meanders through these wetlands into the open sea, and at high spring tides this green grassland can be entirely under water. Yet it is a haven for birds and wildlife, and to my mind spoiled only by the pylons and powerlines.
Yes, I appreciate they are indispensable in transmitting electrical power around the country, but I still believe they are an eyesore. In this case there are two separate banks of these lofty man-made pylons.
Could there ever be an alternative to getting power from the generating station to our home?  Just think how much we rely on electrical power — the source of lighting, possibly, heating and cooking, and for the hundred and one things we plug into our kitchen sockets, even recharging your phone or powering your computer.
 
But aesthetic on the horizon? To my mind, definitely not.