Lego Durham Cathedral taken out of storage to go back on display

A Lego version of one of the North East's most famous landmarks is being brought out of storage.

The miniature version of Durham Cathedral was first built between 2013 and 2016 but has been in storage since the pandemic.

The cathedral is now bringing out the Lego model, which recreates the 1,000-year-old building in intricate detail, using more than 350,000 bricks, for people to see once again.

The initial model, which measures 3.84m long, 1.53m wide and 1.7m high, took three years to make but when it was put away, was dismantled in parts so the recreation is expected to take about six weeks in total.

The Lego cathedral was built thanks to members of the public, who paid £1 to lay a brick, with the funds going towards the development of the Durham Cathedral Museum, then called Open Treasure.

Andrew Ushaw, chief officer for visitor experience and enterprise, said: "When we did the project originally people could pay £1 to lay a brick on the model so it was something people could get really involved in.

"It's really nice since it's been publicised that the model is coming back out the number of people who have engaged with us about remembering when they came to the cathedral and they laid a brick. There's some really nice stories."

The details of both the inside and outside of the cathedral has been rendered in plastic, including its distinctive columns, patterned floor and famous rose window.

People can view the Lego cathedral while it is being constructed. It will be officially open on 19 February.

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