andyscouse Posted February 16, 2016 Posted February 16, 2016 India Mill Chimney - Darwen, Lancashire India Mill chimney was the tallest and most expensive in England when it was completed in 1867. India Mill Chimney stands 303' in Darwen, Lancashire. The Lego version stands 5'6½". Back then, mill owners had more money than they knew what to do with ... so when they built their new mill, they'd want it build with fancier brickwork, a taller tower, etc, than the mill owned by another guy in the next town. This means that many of those old buildings were great architectural works of art. Many were demolished in the 1960s and 1970s, but fortunately not all were. The ones that remain are now listed buildings. India Mill Tower is a Grade II* listed building. This building had its debut at the Amherst Railway Show in West Springfield MA on Jan 30-31, 2016. This rendition of India Mill Chimney in Lego is the latest in my series of Real Life buildings. Detailed view of top: Close-up of the upper section showing detail in Lego & real-life. Note the bare brick top. When originally built, there was about 20 tons of ornate wrought-iron atop to crown the building nicely. This was removed during World War II to be melted down (along with railings from houses, parks and other sources) to be used in the war effort. My rendering brings a semblance of this ironwork back! View of base & a perspective from bottom looking up: Enjoy! Quote
andyscouse Posted February 16, 2016 Author Posted February 16, 2016 Yes, yes it is! Turned out a little taller than I was expecting it to be when I started - I was aiming for 5'0". Of course, for the €uropeans here, 5'6½" is about 169cm (1.69m). Quote
THERIZE Posted February 16, 2016 Posted February 16, 2016 Its size does make it 1.69M seems incredibly small when comparing to the completed build. Quote
andyscouse Posted February 16, 2016 Author Posted February 16, 2016 I think part of it is perspective. That picture was taken with the building on tables that are about 3' tall (almost 1.0m), and the gap behind to the far tables is about 10' or so - so the guy you see is actually about 12' behind the Chimney. Quote
Venunder Posted February 16, 2016 Posted February 16, 2016 That is a really great tower/chimney. Very close to the original architectural details too. :thumbup: Quote
andyscouse Posted February 17, 2016 Author Posted February 17, 2016 Thank you, Venuder! Yes, it took me 5 weeks to build, with photos of the building close by so I could ensure it matched as close as possible. Took existing stock of dk red and tan 1xN bricks and some other pieces, and then 4 Bricklink orders for other elements! Quote
AJW Posted March 7, 2016 Posted March 7, 2016 Fantastic model! Have you seen this film of Fred Dibnah climbing all the way to the top? Quote
andyscouse Posted March 26, 2016 Author Posted March 26, 2016 AJW Actually ... it was *this very video* that inspired my building of this! Quote
DarwenDays Posted December 9, 2016 Posted December 9, 2016 Dear Andy My name is Dave Owen and I live in the small town of Darwen, I am the founder of Darwen Days which is a group in Darwen trying to save our history before it’s lost in time. You can find us on Face book or darwendays.co.uk I would like to use your images if possible on our site to show the people of Darwen what you have built. Best wishes Dave Quote
andyscouse Posted January 29, 2020 Author Posted January 29, 2020 I'm visiting the UK next month - I should really go and visit this site! Quote
andyscouse Posted January 30, 2020 Author Posted January 30, 2020 22 hours ago, LEGO Train 12 Volts said: What a huge masterpiece! Thank you! It was delightful to plan and build - and overall, it's quite a sight to see. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.