This Easter, we were fortunate enough to be invited to host a public build event at 4 English Heritage sites for their popular Big Brick Build project. This amazing event ran from the 12th -24th April and our teams worked with creatives at English Heritage and the public to put together some pretty awesome builds. Here’s a snapshot of each of the projects
Wrest Park, Silsoe
Gemma and Thea hosted a very busy build in the stunning Orangery at Wrest Park. The build of the Orangery itself drew in people of all ages who sat and contributed to the model. We added prebuilt windows, doors, pillars and other decorative details to the finished model to add the final touches to this much-loved building. We added some free-play brick tables so that our younger participants could enjoy the space and get creative in their own way. Many of their little designs were kept and displayed on the mantelpiece throughout the event.
Bad weather caused the park to close for one day, so we packed up our bricks and headed to the main house where visitors could still come and have some fun. If you ever get a chance to see this beautiful house near Bedford, we’d highly recommend it. The house is currently home to the only known portrait of Lady Jane Grey who was famously executed at just 17 years old as well as lots of other stunning works throughout the house. The gardens are superbly tended and the coffee shop is packed with some amazing cakes!
Dover Castle, Dover
The Big Brick Build of the oldest surviving lighthouse in the country took place in the Education Rooms of the magnificent Dover Castle. Our 3 metre tall brick model of the Roman Pharos Lighthouse needed a scaffolding tower to help our team safely complete the epic build. Participants of all ages came along and enjoyed the activity that was hosted by Stuart, Anna, Carly, Claudia and Ryan - all whom did a fabulous job of rebuilding the model when it cracked! Yes, that’s right. The model cracked. Our team needed to reposition the model after day 4 and typically, the toy bricks didn’t like that very much and a large crack appeared that meant reinforcements were needed on site to quickly get the model rebuilt and back on track. Bravo to all of the team that worked tirelessly to achieve this wonderful build.
Audley End, Saffron Walden
Over at Audley End in Saffron Walden, Duncan and Phil were recreating the iconic Lion Gate that stands at the entrance to this beautiful house. The team were overwhelmed with visitors to the event and were kept busy all day. The smooth sailing lasted until day 10 when the Lion was knocked off the top of the model and broke into a LOT of pieces! Well done to Phil for his super fast rebuild!
Battle Abbey Gatehouse, Hastings
Vaclav and Toby were on top form for the whole 10 day event. The site was exceptionally busy and the event was a fantastic draw for the site. The model of the gatehouse featured some prebuilt sections that were added on at the end for extra detailing and the free build play tables were an absolute hit with the children.
Sadly, the model had to be dismantled straight after the event as the space was needed for more events. Despite all their hard work, Vaclav and Toby actually enjoyed this bit!
We all had a blast working at the Big Brick Build for English Heritage this year. But a special mention needs to go to Kirsty, our designer who created all of the model designs and instructions.
