Tigelfah Castle & Town

Built in 2013 by James Pegrum, Jimmy Clinch, Colin Parry, Steve Snasdell, Luke Hutchinson, Barney Main, Thomas Coleman and Harry Russell, Tigelfeah is where Brick to the Past's story began. 

The story begins when James Pegrum started building a castle. Not just any castle, but a rather large one in the style typical of an English/Welsh border castle of the middle ages. So, this is not a particular castle, but one inspired by many, as one might have looked in the 15th century. The name Tigelfah means 'colourful bricks' in Old English, which is of course a nod to the source material from which the model is made.

Tigelfah Castle & Town

In designing his castle, James put careful consideration into the way Castles evolved over time. The central keep, was therefore theoretically the oldest part, and so was built in an 11th Century style with its square shape. This was further emphasised  by the use of pre-2004 bricks for the old light and dark grey Lego colours. 

Tigelfah Castle

The castle courtyard.

This tower represents a 14th century addition to the courtyard.

The design of the castle therefore became more 'modern' as it was built outwards, which reflected the architectural styles and tactical innovations of later centuries, for example the rounded towers. James also progressed to using the newer light and dark bluish grey or stone Lego colours. 

As an extra touch, the keep was decorated with fully detailed interiors, which were designed to reflect the ways in which castles were used at the time. Functionality was built in throughout, for example the portcullis raised and lowered and even the toilets worked. You might say it was flush with detail.

Banqueting Hall.

We even wrote a guide book - here's an excerpt.

The abbey in the model was built by Colin Parry, who tool an unusual approach to construction by building it upside down. Why you might ask? To get the correct shape for the window arches Colin decided that studs down was the way to go for the single reason that Lego don't make an inverted 2 brick high slopes.

If you look closely at that abbey you will see that it has a brick-like texture. This was achieved by eschewing larger Lego bricks and embracing1x2 plates and an overlay of tiles so as to accentuate the gaps and grooves to form a brick-like pattern. 

Then there's the stained glass windows, painstakingly put together from cheese slopes and small transparent plates. The Abbey formed  a counterpoint to the castle and the perfect focus for the town.

Ashes to Ashes.

Monk's Procession.

The model's town was built by three different builders - Jimmy Clinch, Steve Snasdell and Harry Russel.

Like the castle we wanted to create a sense of evolution with different aged buildings and a mix of architectural styles.  Harry was therefore given the task of creating some buildings that were currently in a state of slight disrepair. His style was one of half stone / half wattle and daub, one of which was undergoing some light re-thatching.

The old master mason, his young wife and daughter.

Thatchers in action.

Castle and town.

Steve added a strip of town complete with further buildings, including one under construction, a chapel and a working windmill.

The windmill's blades spun, powered by a Lego motor.

Steve's buildings are wattle and dawb.

Jimmy added to the town with a brewery, a glassblower's and the town square.

A bird's eye view of the village.

The glassblower's.

The town square.

Some medieval architecture.

All these vulnerable villages needed protection. So Barney Main's job was to add a town wall.

Attack on the Town Wall.

More town wall...

Which was then finished off along with a gatehouse and some idyllic surrounding countryside by Tom. 

The Town Gatehouse.

Gone Fishing.

And all was well with the peaceful, happy town of Tigelfah... 

...something Luke Hutchinson was more than happy to rectify with jis evil Baron's tower. Complete with textured leaning walls, a witch burning and a druid in a pumpkin patch, it added a touch of darkness to the land of Tigelfah.

Happy times in Tigelfah Town.

The horror!

The Keep.

The Team, from left to right - Colin Parry, Steve Snadell, Harry Russell, Tom Coleman, James Pegrum, Luke Hutchinson, Barney Main & Jimmy Clinch.

Like most of our large models, Tigelfah only existed as a whole during the year of its creation. However elements of it, such as the 11th century keep, remain extant and are still available to rent. Contact us for more information.

Brick to the Past proudly use LEGO bricks to build our displays, but we are not endorsed, authorised or affiliated with the LEGO Group in any way.
LEGO is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies. The material on this site is copyright Brick to the Past.