These castles were all built by Bob Carney using standard Lego bricks and parts. Each castle is a scale model of a real European or Middle Eastern medieval castle. The first phase of each new project begins with in depth research in libraries and on the internet, and then drawing the plans to "Lego scale", typically using 1/8" graph paper for elevations as well. Once I'm reasonably sure I've got enough of each kind of Lego brick needed to complete the project, I'm ready to build.
I have just begun work on my 148th castle in Lego - the very appealing Maxstoke Castle, a classic fortified manor house near Birmingham, England. You should also note my #147, the awesome Caernarfon Castle in northern Wales, home to the Princes of Wales for about 700 years. It was displayed at Brickworld Chicago in June 2015. I took time-lapse pictures of that build for Cadw: Welsh Government Historic Environment Service, which can be seen at YouTube.com. The first 6 weeks of 2015 were dedicated to a rebuild of Rhuddlan Castle [#146], also in North Wales and first built by me in 1990. I also took time-lapse pictures of that build for Cadw which can be seen here on YouTube.com. Otherwise, I've arranged the castles I've built by their country of origin. Just click on any of the castle names that interest you (or all of them if you like) and you'll be treated to several photographs and a plan of the real castle, a brief history (possibly with personal notes) and pictures of my Lego model. There's also a Build Your Own section with my working Lego plans and one or more URLs referring you to related castle sites on the World Wide Web.
You can also click on the name of the country where the castles are located (or the small picture) to link to a Castle Locator Map, with castles listed in the order I built them [maps for non-France portions of Europe will be made after I've built a few more castles!]. Also, after countless emails, I've decided to include a FAQ section which will hopefully answer most general questions. I'd still like to hear your comments! An updated castle lineage is now available -- it shows the order in which the castles were built and in which country the castle is located. The castle currently under construction is also noted, if applicable.
I have also added a page for novice but enthusiastic castle builders which is basically made up of several of my early castles which have largely been ignored on this Main Page due to the larger later edition. Pictures of the smaller castles plus available plans and elevations can be found at Early Castles and should be more rewarding for the beginner. There is also a Castle Builders' Page where you can enjoy the efforts of some your colleagues! I will update it as regularly as I receive input from various Lego friends.
While researching and modeling castles is my love, occasionally I use my Lego to build other things. Here's my favorite non-castle projects on a page entitled Trains, Ships and Other Stuff, including my 22-oar Viking longboat. And in the spring of 2011 I built to mini-fig scale the Tomb of Queen Nefertari, Great Wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II, located in the Valley of the Queens in Egypt. The ancient artwork is not Lego hieroglyphics, but authentic. In addition, I've assembled, at the suggestion of my friend Dan Vallauri in Monaco, a page which I call Lego Bar Art. When my wife Judy and I remodeled our lower level in 2000 (see Storage System below), the playroom bar was covered with 48-stud Lego baseplates. I've been doing "mosaic art" on the bar face ever since, and I've decided to show it off, since others might enjoy making their own variation(s) on this theme. Let me know what you think.
Then there is a page describing the history, design, purchase and setup of my plastic tip-out bin storage system. If you are thinking about a major alteration in the way you are sorting and storing your Lego bricks, and you are willing to spend a fair amount of money for the huge convenience, then click on the link above. And don't forget about BrickWorld 2015 at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center in Schaumburg, Illinois next June. I'll be there with a castle or two - to be announced. Finally, you will see no advertising on my webpage, but I must put in a plug for BrickJournal. And thank you all very much for visiting my Lego Castles webpage!
I have just begun work on my 148th castle in Lego - the very appealing Maxstoke Castle, a classic fortified manor house near Birmingham, England. You should also note my #147, the awesome Caernarfon Castle in northern Wales, home to the Princes of Wales for about 700 years. It was displayed at Brickworld Chicago in June 2015. I took time-lapse pictures of that build for Cadw: Welsh Government Historic Environment Service, which can be seen at YouTube.com. The first 6 weeks of 2015 were dedicated to a rebuild of Rhuddlan Castle [#146], also in North Wales and first built by me in 1990. I also took time-lapse pictures of that build for Cadw which can be seen here on YouTube.com. Otherwise, I've arranged the castles I've built by their country of origin. Just click on any of the castle names that interest you (or all of them if you like) and you'll be treated to several photographs and a plan of the real castle, a brief history (possibly with personal notes) and pictures of my Lego model. There's also a Build Your Own section with my working Lego plans and one or more URLs referring you to related castle sites on the World Wide Web.
You can also click on the name of the country where the castles are located (or the small picture) to link to a Castle Locator Map, with castles listed in the order I built them [maps for non-France portions of Europe will be made after I've built a few more castles!]. Also, after countless emails, I've decided to include a FAQ section which will hopefully answer most general questions. I'd still like to hear your comments! An updated castle lineage is now available -- it shows the order in which the castles were built and in which country the castle is located. The castle currently under construction is also noted, if applicable.
I have also added a page for novice but enthusiastic castle builders which is basically made up of several of my early castles which have largely been ignored on this Main Page due to the larger later edition. Pictures of the smaller castles plus available plans and elevations can be found at Early Castles and should be more rewarding for the beginner. There is also a Castle Builders' Page where you can enjoy the efforts of some your colleagues! I will update it as regularly as I receive input from various Lego friends.
While researching and modeling castles is my love, occasionally I use my Lego to build other things. Here's my favorite non-castle projects on a page entitled Trains, Ships and Other Stuff, including my 22-oar Viking longboat. And in the spring of 2011 I built to mini-fig scale the Tomb of Queen Nefertari, Great Wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II, located in the Valley of the Queens in Egypt. The ancient artwork is not Lego hieroglyphics, but authentic. In addition, I've assembled, at the suggestion of my friend Dan Vallauri in Monaco, a page which I call Lego Bar Art. When my wife Judy and I remodeled our lower level in 2000 (see Storage System below), the playroom bar was covered with 48-stud Lego baseplates. I've been doing "mosaic art" on the bar face ever since, and I've decided to show it off, since others might enjoy making their own variation(s) on this theme. Let me know what you think.
Then there is a page describing the history, design, purchase and setup of my plastic tip-out bin storage system. If you are thinking about a major alteration in the way you are sorting and storing your Lego bricks, and you are willing to spend a fair amount of money for the huge convenience, then click on the link above. And don't forget about BrickWorld 2015 at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center in Schaumburg, Illinois next June. I'll be there with a castle or two - to be announced. Finally, you will see no advertising on my webpage, but I must put in a plug for BrickJournal. And thank you all very much for visiting my Lego Castles webpage!
All Lego castles created by Robert Carney.