Durham Cathedral LEGO® attraction is finally complete

The rebuild of Durham Cathedral in LEGO® has finally been completed by 11-year-old Libby Armstrong from Beverley in East Yorkshire, who placed the final piece (a cross) on top of the East end of the LEGO® cathedral structure.

Durham Cathedral in LEGO® has been lovingly re-built by a team of volunteers since December 2023 with the aim to complete it in time for families visiting over February half term.

After three years in storage, the structure is now housed in a new permanent location in the Durham Cathedral Museum.

Libby was visiting Durham Cathedral for a day out with her family yesterday (Thursday, February 15), when she was asked by the cathedral team if she would like to add the last brick to the build.

Libby said: “I was really excited to be asked to place the last brick, I was just tall enough to reach. I used to build a lot of LEGO sets when I was younger but nothing as big as this!”

Durham Cathedral in LEGO®, was an ambitious fundraising project from 2013 to 2016 which saw the cathedral recreated in LEGO® bricks, to support the development of the Durham Cathedral Museum.

The model was built by members of the public, with each brick representing a £1 donation and since the first brick was laid on 11 July 2013, over 300,000 bricks were added to the model over the next 3 years.

Chief Officer for Visitor Experience and Enterprise, Andrew Usher said: “We're delighted to be able to bring back Durham Cathedral in LEGO, as it holds a special place in people’s hearts. Not only does it represent the first large-scale LEGO model to be built by members of the public, but also represents the many stories from the thousands of people, businesses and community groups who added their bricks.

“We're keen to engage the next generation with Durham Cathedral in LEGO too which is why we surprised one of our visitors by asking them to place the last brick.

“11 years ago we started building this structure and today, 11 year old Libby did a fantastic job of completing its rebuild."

The original build of the 1.7m LEGO® Cathedral proved to be an eye-catching and popular way to raise money from both members of the public as well as businesses.

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The Very Revd Dr Philip Plyming, Dean of Durham said: “Ten years ago on a visit to Durham my two sons placed bricks in the original build, and it connected us afresh with the wonderful place that is Durham Cathedral. It is fantastic to see the whole model back on display and open to all to visit.”

The 300,000 brick model is as accurate a scale representation of the cathedral as possible, spanning 3.84m long, 1.53m wide and 1.7m high.

Durham Cathedral in LEGO® will be on permanent display in the Durham Cathedral Museum, with no admission charge. For those wanting to explore the Museum further, tickets are available on arrival.

For more information visit www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/lego.