Tag Archives: James Pegrum

Bear witness to history in this brick-built Viking diorama

With the benefit of a few hundred years of hindsight, we can look back and say that the vikings were pretty cool. But if you were a resident in a village on Britain’s eastern shores at the time, you might not agree with that assessment. We can look to James Pegrum‘s LEGO snapshot to see what one of their frequent raids might have looked like. There’s a fabulously-textured chapel or monastery juxtaposing the much newer-looking longboat, while the resident monks are showing a mixture of fear and defiance. The minifigure’s-eye perspective really makes you feel among the action – a witness to history in LEGO form!

Let's go raiding

Next stop, Plymouth Rock

A moment of American history is frozen in time in James Pegrum‘s LEGO recreation of the Mayflower, the English ship that transported the first Pilgrims to New England. The story goes that indentured servant John Howland was swept overboard during a storm and held on until the crew hauled him back to safety. That splash is represented at the center of the build, carefully crafted out of rows of dark blue bricks and white curved slopes among the turbulent waves. The Mayflower flaunts some brick-built masts and beautiful blue accents on her sides. Plus, the rigging is all string and no prefabs — a solid choice for this level of realism.

Man Over Board

Self-isolation means more build time

This time of social distancing and self-isolation is the perfect time to build new LEGO creations. James Pegrum took this time to build a small scene from the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1920. While there isn’t a whole lot going on in the picture, there are some nice little designs for rafters, hanging sheets, and early hospital beds. Aside from the build itself, the subject matter is what’s important today. The patient here is doing what the nurse is telling him to do. We all need to do the same. We’re going to get through this by listening to public health officials. One of the loudest messages I’ve heard is to stay home if you can, which is the perfect time to come up with more amazing LEGO creations!

Atishoo!

Commemorating the Peterloo Massacre

August of this year marked the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre. To commemorate the massacre, James Pegrum, Dan Harris and Simon Pickard collaborated to build a LEGO diorama of the event. In their research on the subject, the team consulted an expert historian and the creators of a graphic novel depicting the Peterloo Massacre. They tried to recreate everything as accurately as possible.

The Peterloo Massacre

See more of this action-packed display.