Lego cathedral model completed after 10-year build

St Edmundsbury Cathedral

The final brick has been laid on a Lego model of a cathedral ten years after the project began.

An estimated 200,000 pieces have gone into the replica at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

The project started on 28 May 2016 and more than 70 volunteers took part.

The Very Reverend Joe Hawes, Dean of St Edmundsbury, said: “This model now stands as a testament, not just to craftsmanship, but to what our community can accomplish together.”

The model is one of four to have been made from Lego bricks alongside similar builds at Durham, Exeter and Chester cathedrals.

The project was designed as a fundraiser, and for every £1 donated, a new brick was added to the model.

Sarah Friswell, former visitor experience manager and current volunteer for for St Edmundsbury Cathedral, said more than £100,000 had been raised from the build.

“We got the idea from Durham Cathedral, actually,” she said. “We were inspired by a company called Bright Bricks.

“They came and computer modelled the cathedral and gave us all the plans and the bricks, and then it was just up to us to encourage visitors to pay £1 and for us to add the bricks.”

St Edmundsbury Cathedral

Hawes said: “When the LEGO Cathedral build began in May 2016, we could never have imagined the commitment it would take to reach the moment of adding the final brick.

“Within the 10 years of building we faced many challenges, instructions that were hard to read, keeping the volunteer rota full and a global pandemic.

“We hope visitors will continue to enjoy visiting to see the finished product.”

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