Ballabreek 2013

[PsyKater]

How could I miss this? This is one of the best citied I've seen so far. Perfect micture of original sets and mocs. And I love the stories! Go on!

[greg3]

Another quick update, this time to give a sneak preview of the next building to go into the village... a church/chapel.

St Vincent's chapel is sited over a natural spring and is believed to have been used for Christian worship since the 6th century (although the current building was probably a later rebuild). In recent years it has been closed due to structural problems but is now about to be reopened after the village commissioners and local fundraisers paid for repairs. I had hoped to have it open for Easter but other things got in the way!! Anyway, here's a few pics of the chapel (haven't yet decided where in the village it's going to go!!)

The chapel is based on this one http://www.greatorme.org.uk/llandrillo.html

Exterior views

The interior (both end walls can be removed for access) The window is a temporary one as "highly trained craftsmen" are working on a stained glass replacement!!

The altar - you can see the natural spring below it.

Thanks for looking - hopefully I'll post more pics once I've added it to the village.

Cheers

[timmyc1983]

That is a stunning little church!!!!! So simple yet so detailed! I love the cobbled look you've given the exterior and such clever use of the arches for the interior!! And those candles this is my favorite building in your city i think!

I look forward to seeing it in its place, wherever you choose it will look fantastic!!!!

[lightningtiger]

Neat little chapel 'greg3'......could have been also an old bomb shelter from WWII......Brick On !

[greg3]

Finally got round to finding a place in the village for the church... also made up a bit of "history" for it too!! (I tried to incorporate some real history - St Vincent really is a patron saint of builders, Keeills were early churches in the Isle of Man (where I live) and the tradition of the perquage is from Jersey (where I grew up) along with some made up stuff!!)

The chapel of St. Vincent stands on the site of a natural fresh water spring and has been a place of Christian worship since at least the 6th Century (and evidence of the site's use for pagan rituals has been found dating back to the Bronze Age!) The first building on the site is believed to have been one of 6 Keeills (small buildings lived in by a priest and used for worship by local people) built by St Vincent (who became the patron saint of builders in recognition of his work to "build" Christianity in the area). The current building dates from sometime in the Medieval Period when it was a place of pilgrimage (the spring water was believed to have healing powers) It was also used as a sanctuary church, where someone accused of a crime could shelter for up to 9 days. After that, they would have to surrender or go into exile. If they chose the latter, a sanctuary path (perquage) led to the coast from where they could be picked up by boat - never to return (on pain of death!!)

During the Victorian period the chapel was used by the locals as the village church, eventually falling into disuse and disrepair during the mid 1900's. In recent years it has been restored and is now a popular tourist attraction and is still used for regular services despite it's small size!!

(All I need now is a village priest....)

Front view

Rear view

Interior (showing the newly "restored" stained glass window. The image represents the sea, the land, the sun and the sky. (that was the idea anyway!!)

Close up of the window

Aerial view - the medieval sanctuary path can still be seen - it's now a footpath down to the beach!!

As you can see I've extended the village to add a beach which is still a WIP (and should feature in the next update!!)

Thanks for looking...

Comments always welcome...

[lightningtiger]

Nice church 'greg3', though I wondering is it too low ?

Brick On 'greg3' !

[greg3]

Thanks for the comments LT... Compared to a modern building it probably is a bit low (minifigs need to duck to get through the doorway) but inside they can stand up with a bit of room to spare. But I think this just adds to the charm and the fact it's such an "old" building (built by hand by a small group of eager priests in a time when people were on average shorter anyway) I'll get round to posting some pics of it with a congregation at some point but for now it's off to Ballabreek's beach.... Once it's built that is!!!!

[lightningtiger]

A beach next eh......can't wait for the beach party 'greg3'......Brick On Party On !

[Jargo]

How odd. I was only thinking about looking for Ballabreek this afternoon to see if there were any updates and here it is. I love how modest your village is. Everything in it's place and a place for everything. Compact and bijou.

The addition of a beach is a splendid move. I was hoping to start on my own town over the course of the summer. I have plans that have been rattling round my brain for years. But looking at Ballabreek again has reminded me that I also have plans for a village on the coast drawn up somewhere. Which might be a better place to start given my meagre building space.I'm going to keep Ballabreek in mind because it proves that small is beautiful. So the small port of Legollyn might make an appearance in the next few months. In the meantime I look forward to the next Ballabreek update, greg3.

[tomdobs55]

I can't believe I missed this thread! Your villages is fantastic and I always love a good story to go along with it. The way you did the garage fire is very well done. Kudos to you my friend.

[DroppinSuga]

I just finished reading through the entire thread. What an excellent read it was!

I look forward to seeing the beach!

[greg3]

Thanks again for the comments... as promised here's the small beach (took an age to finally settle on a layout that would fit the available space but still look believable(ish!)) As always, it comes with a backstory/bit of history!!

For centuries, this sheltered cove has been used by local fisherman to beach their boats but it wasn't until the 1850's that wealthy Victorian's began to develop it into something more - laying the foundations for what we see today...

The promenade was the first thing to be built. Intended as a place where the local people could walk and take in the fresh sea air, it was hopped that it would improve people's health. It also attracted visitors from larger, more industrial towns nearby and originally was much wider with shops/stalls on the landward side (these were lost when the coast road was widened during the 1950's) Now the promenade is still popular as a place for walking, jogging, fishing etc.

The open air tidal pool was build a few years later. The retaining wall traps water as the tide goes out providing a safe place for people to swim. The pool fell out of use during the 1960's when people discovered they could travel to places with much warmer water for their holidays and the original changing rooms on the beach are long since gone. It's hoped that the pool could become popular again especially in the summer so the wall has been restored and the pool dredged to make it usable again.

At the height of its popularity the beach was surrounded by small shops, amusement stalls and a cafe (as well as changing rooms for the pool) All that remains of these now is a derelict shop from the 1970's. It would have sold ice cream, buckets and spades, saucy postcards etc but is now in a sad state of disrepair (having suffered at least 1 fire!). However, it has recently been bought by a new owner who has plans to set up a new business in the premisses (he's sent a workman down to check it out before the renovation begins... any ideas what it might become?)

Finally, the bit of the beach area that the tourists won't be bothered with... the sewage pumping/treatment station. For decades, the beach has had a problem with pollution as damage to pipes in the Victorian system resulted in sewerage being discharged into the sea too close to shore and being washed into the cove (yuk!). The increasing population hasn't helped either, so a system of treatment tanks has been developed. In Ballabreek the tank was constructed inside a natural rock outcrop - the waste is pumped through undersea pipes into the tank where a series of filters and bacteria break down the organic waste until it is safe to discharge into the sea as the tide is going out. The system has proved very effective and after only a few months the sea water quality has shown a huge improvement, laying the foundations for making the beach area a place Ballabreek can be proud of!!

This was originally going to be the site of a lighthouse (a MOD of last year's Creator model) but having recently got the new fire helicopter I though I'd make it a bit more "industrial" using the supposed "factory". Don't worry, the facility is still very green as the waste gas from the process is stored in the holding tank and used to power the pumps etc. (looking at the photos, I might change the dock from dark grey to light grey)

So there we have it, the latest addition to Ballabreek and another area set to undergo a few changes over the next few weeks... hope you like it!!

Comments always welcome...

Finally an overview of the whole village.. (as you can see, I've just about run out of space!!)

[lightningtiger]

AWESOME little town 'greg3', I can now see where the small church comes into play near the beach......wonderful backstory too !

If you can don't stop,.......Brick On 'greg3' !

[LAKAbricks]

The "final" result is really nice. Too bad, you don't have more space. But if you have got some small baseplates (e.g. 16x8), you could put some green areas behind the chapel and the medial centre (St. Vincent Medical Centre? ). Eventually, you could also put a small building next to M's Gems. Maybe a little café or so? - And it's really joyful to read the (hi-)story of the different parts of Ballabreek. It really comes to life this way.

Edit: And it's inspirational for us people without modulars (... yet).

Edited May 13, 2013 by laka

[eurotrash]

You definitely seem to have an arson problem in Ballabreek! But the Fire Service seems more than capable of handling the frequent burns.

So, what do you have in mind for the Beach Shop? Jetski rentals?

[greg3]

The "final" result is really nice. Too bad, you don't have more space. But if you have got some small baseplates (e.g. 16x8), you could put some green areas behind the chapel and the medial centre (St. Vincent Medical Centre? ). Eventually, you could also put a small building next to M's Gems. Maybe a little café or so? - And it's really joyful to read the (hi-)story of the different parts of Ballabreek. It really comes to life this way.

Edit: And it's inspirational for us people without modulars (... yet).

Thanks for the comments... Don't worry, this isn't the "final" result... I might be running out of space, but buildings will change use/be replaced etc (I also have in mind a few stories to play out in the village.... Watch this space!!) I do like the sound of St Vincent's medical centre!! (And great minds must think alike as I'm actually just waiting for baseplates to fill in the small gaps)

So, what do you have in mind for the Beach Shop? Jetski rentals?

Close but not quite....

Edited May 13, 2013 by greg3

[lightningtiger]

A beach cafe would be nice.

Brick On 'greg3' !

[Jargo]

I love it when people don't just focus on the nicer side of life. The inclusion of the sewage treatment facility in your build is just great. It reminds me of the family holidays I had in North Wales as a boy where there was a sewage outlet pipe on the beach. I'm glad to see the water company responsible for Ballabreek has done something about the problem. It seems a little exposed though. Is it safe from winter storm tides?

[Phazon]

I like the changes which happened to your town. It's pretty unique that you have a story behind the buildings and the landscape, instead of just building what you like. You are building a story.

[Artifex]

There are many, many fantastic MOCers and builders here in EB.

They are some of the best and most inspirational Lego fans all around. Be it car designs, trucks or vehicles in general, be it ships, buildings, train or even city layouts, the moment you see their pics, you just have to leave what you are doing and put a couple of bricks together. Just have a look around the site.

From those, I find Ballabreek 2013 one of the most enthusiastic projects of them all. It's not only a layout put together, but a city you feel it's really alive.

Kudos to you, greg3. Thanks for sharing your city with us.

[greg3]

Introducing Ballabreek's latest business... the Dive Shop!

My hardworking builders have turned this

Into this...

A small shop selling just about anything a diver might need. Inside...

The air tank filling station and counter.

Wet suits, air tanks, masks, fins, even spearguns... this shop has it all!!

Another view of the display stand...

Now open for business!!

To attract new customers and make the shop's opening a bit more special, the owner has an antique diving suit and air pump on display.

And the owner? Arthur Curry has just moved into Ballabreek (but won't say from where!) and is the latest in a long line of divers and undersea explorers (it's said his great grandfather, and original owner of the antique diving suit, spent years searching for Atlantis before disappearing under mysterious circumstances!!)

Will we ever find out the real reason why Arthur has moved to Ballabreek? Maybe...

Hope you all like the new addition to the beach... comments are always welcome.

Thanks for looking!!

Edited May 18, 2013 by greg3

[lightningtiger]

Great little dive shop 'greg3'.....keep them coming and Brick On !

[LAKAbricks]

Great to see Ballabreek's business life is blooming again with entrepeneurs opening new shops. With the new shops, the village can better attract tourists. Hopefully the tramstop soon will be a busy place with Santa Claus... eh, people coming to town Soon there might be a need for a bed & breakfast.

EDIT: Btw, I really like the antique diving suit and the air pump. It's really brilliant

Edited May 19, 2013 by laka

[greg3]

Well it's a Bank Holiday weekend and where better to spend it than on the beach (which is what I've been doing the last 2 days) but now the weather's gone back to normal (wind, rain, fog etc) I've retreated indoors to Ballabreek's Beach (where the sun always shines!!) to set up a little beach scene...

Overview - with it being a long weekend, the locals have set up some special activities to attract people to the sand...

The local ice cream salesman is doing great business. I wanted to rebuild set 6601 (great memories of that set as a child!!) but found I was lacking a lot of the parts in a usable condition so with a MOD here and there here's my new version)

The local Marine Wildlife Conservation Group have set up a temporary "touch tank" where visitors can see, handle and learn about the plants and animals found near the coast. (real life versions of these are always very popular when they appear at local events)

The local dive shop and Diving Club have a display of antique diving gear...

And items raised from some of the wrecks to found in the waters around the coast...

Finally, a few hardy souls are making use of the pool.... the sun may have been shining but the sea's still pretty cold!!!

Thanks for looking (I hadn't really planned an update this week as there's no new buildings or exciting stories to tell but once I'd set up the scene I couldn't help adding it to the "history" of Ballabreek!)

As always, any omments are more than welcome...

Cheers

Edited May 27, 2013 by greg3

[lightningtiger]

Interesting activity going on there......keep going and Brick On 'greg3' !