A Lego-obsessed couple worked 14-hour days for four weeks to build a 21-foot-long copy of the Old London Bridge in their living room.
Mike Addis, 63, and Catherine Weightman, 58, create a gigantic Lego sculpture near the end of the year every year. And their 27th project took 400,000 Lego pieces to finish.
The duo worked on the model for four weeks, beginning in mid-November of last year and finishing in mid-December.
They recreated the Old London Bridge of 1400, one of three bridges that crossed the Thames at Southwark, complete with 78 homes, 500 mini-figures, a castle, and a church. It also comprises guards who police the bridge’s pay toll, bakeries, and inhabitants.
The model will remain up until January 6, when it is customarily removed.
The design was inspired by medieval Frost Fayres held when the Thames froze over in the 16th century.
“It’s definitely our most unworkable model since it’s straight through the center of the room,” said Mike, an economics instructor. It divides the area in half, with a foot gap at one end to provide access to the opposite side of the living room.
“We just hosted a party with folks on one side of the bridge and others on the other. Because it is so massive, most people are in awe.
“The settees are on one side, while the heaters are on the other. We have different Lego sets for the kids to play with.”
As part of their study for the Lego copy, the pair visited an existing wooden model of the bridge in St. Magnus The Martyr Church in London.
The duo previously constructed a massive polar bear and an Ely Cathedral model; they recycle the bricks each time, carefully sorting them by color and size before demolishing.
“Everything is handcrafted, and each house is unique,” Mike explained. We worked 14-hour days on certain occasions to complete the task.
“You must be patient. Some of it is pretty difficult. We had to use half bricks to form the curving arches.”
The couple’s love for Lego began as a youngster, but was reignited when a family friend came with their child and they retrieved their Lego from the attic for him to play with.
“We discovered how much we enjoyed Lego,” Mike explained. “Sometimes we do it with friends—a buddy came over one weekend to help us.”
