Meet the Glasgow Lego artist who’s building replicas of famous Glasgow landmarks one block at a time

Meet the man building Glasgow’s favourite buildings from Lego bricks.
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A Glasgow artist has recreated over a dozen iconic Glasgow landmarks in Lego form, including the Barrowlands, The University Cafe and Royal Exchange Square.

From the missing frontage of Rogano to the Duke of Wellington statue, Denis Donoghue builds models of famous Glasgow buildings, statues, restaurants, and just about anything else he can make a Lego-version of under the project name ‘Bricking It Glasgow’.

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Originally from Aberdeen, Donoghue has lived in Glasgow for the past 20 years - most of his adult-life - lending locals and friends to name him an ‘honorary Glaswegian.’

It’s hard to dispute the title either, given the quality of Denis’ work, completing original lego models from scratch that look almost like an exact replica of the real thing.

The university cafe in lego formThe university cafe in lego form
The university cafe in lego form

Denis, who works full-time as a researcher for Skills Development Scotland while moonlighting as a Lego artist in his free-time, spoke to GlasgowWorld about his art.

He said:”I’ve been building lego since I was young, and got back into it 2016 when I was playing with my kids.

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“It started out as a hobby seven years ago - people started asking if they could buy some designs off me for Christmas and Birthday presents, so I set up the online shop.

“Most of the things I sell now were originally commissions from people, builds like the University Cafe, Rogano, and the Duke of Wellington statue all came from requests.”

A lego version of The Clansman from Still Game, once upon a time the Ruchill Tavern in MaryhillA lego version of The Clansman from Still Game, once upon a time the Ruchill Tavern in Maryhill
A lego version of The Clansman from Still Game, once upon a time the Ruchill Tavern in Maryhill

Denis got a lot of attention online back in 2017 when he completed his first Glasgow build, a three-foot long replica of the Barrowlands, created entirely out of lego with a whopping 3000 bricks - the design even comes with its own functioning lights for the iconic Barrowlands sign!

One of Denis’ proudest designs, the Queen’s Cafe, also got a lot of admiration online - even being retweeted by Ricky Ross from Deacon Blue.

A lot went into making the Rogano buildA lot went into making the Rogano build
A lot went into making the Rogano build
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The artist’s best-seller is the Duke of Wellington statue - which sits on the mantle of dozens of people in the city, and those further afield.

Depending on the size and complexity of the model, it can take Denis anywhere from hours to weeks to complete.

Bricking It Glasgow’s Duke of Wellington statue in front of a lego Glasgow Museum of Modern ArtBricking It Glasgow’s Duke of Wellington statue in front of a lego Glasgow Museum of Modern Art
Bricking It Glasgow’s Duke of Wellington statue in front of a lego Glasgow Museum of Modern Art

Speaking about his artistic process, Denis said:”I start off by looking at photographs of the building, once I find the right one I’ll sketch it out on paper to get a better idea of the structure and what types of bricks I’ll need to use.

“I can crop and scale the photo to make stickers which are placed on clear sticky acetate sheets which I paste onto the lego.

Battlefield Rest as a lego buildBattlefield Rest as a lego build
Battlefield Rest as a lego build
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“That’s not the only method I use though, alternatively for builds like Rogano I’ll match the font used on the sign and then print out to use as a sticker.

“Some buildings, like the Queen’s Cafe, present unique challenges where I’ll need to use a mixture of the two methods - the stained glass panelling was particularly troublesome, but I’m quite proud of how it turned out.

A lego rendition of the Queens Street Cafe by Denis Donoghue A lego rendition of the Queens Street Cafe by Denis Donoghue
A lego rendition of the Queens Street Cafe by Denis Donoghue

“With lego bricks you’re limited to scales and sizes, so I usually start with getting the windows and doors looking right - the most difficult bits - and from there it’s a lot of trial and error!

“For some of the bigger builds, I use a design software called stud.io, which lets you digitally build lego rather than having to raid through your son’s lego box.”

To check out some more of Bricking it Glasgow’s work, check out Denis’ Folksy site.

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