Lego bridge's place in the record books confirmed
A record-breaking bridge made of Lego has been officially recognised as a Guinness world record.
The creation was put together at the Ironbridge Gorge Museums last year in a partnership with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).
The effort secured the record for a bridge with the longest span made from interlocking plastic bricks.
Constructed in August 2019 at Enginuity in Coalbrookdale, the bridge has a record span of 16.92 metres, is 34 metres long and contains more than 205,000 bricks.
The new record beats the previous one which had a span of 16.46 metres, which was also achieved by ICE in 2016.
Enginuity was the first location chosen to assemble and display the new world record-breaking bridge.
An interactive design and technology centre, Enginuity is one of the ten museums operated by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.
It was chosen by ICE for the world record attempt because both organisations are dedicated to the promotion of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects to future generations.
The bridge was on display in the museum until its closure earlier this year due to the pandemic.
Jo Barnett, regional director, ICE East and West Midlands, said: “We are delighted that our record-breaking attempt has now been verified by Guinness World Records. We wanted to attract and inspire children to consider engineering as a fun potential career, and also partner with a local organisation that shares our values and vision.
“It is such a shame that the bridge display at Enginuity was cut short due to the pandemic, but we hope those who were lucky enough to see it were inspired to explore civil engineering further. We look forward to working with the Ironbridge Gorge Museums on other joint initiatives in the future.”
Gillian Crumpton, collections and learning director, The Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust, added: “We are thrilled to find out that the bridge, assembled here in Enginuity, achieved the new world record for the longest span bridge made with the interlocking plastic bricks. The bridge was certainly a draw during its time on display at the museum. It amazed and hopefully inspired many of the school children who visited us to consider engineering as a future career.”
The bridge was designed and constructed on behalf of the Institution of Civil Engineers by Bright Bricks. It took their team just under two days to construct using almost 205,000 bricks.
