PRINCE HARRY GOES ON PARADE - AT MINILAND LONDON
A new Miniland London, one of LEGOLAND Windsor's major new attractions for 2006, is to be officially unveiled on Friday 26 May, complete with some of the capital's newest landmarks including Canary Wharf and the Gherkin and a LEGO brick model of the Household Cavalry's latest recruit, Prince Harry.
The pocket-sized Prince will be on parade, making his debut in Miniland London in Horse Guards Parade, inspected by a LEGO brick replica of his very proud grandmother, HM The Queen.
Photo-opportunity: 10:30am Friday 26 May 2006
LEGO brick model soldier Prince Harry reports for duty
To mark this prestigious occasion, the real, live Band of the Life Guards of the Household Cavalry will perform at the park alongside the miniature LEGO brick marching band in Miniland London.
LEGO brick models of some of the capital's best known landmarks have been created thanks to the park's team of talented model makers and animators. The London skyline has been brought right up to date and now features LEGO brick replicas of the following: City Hall, the Lloyd's Building, the three Canary Wharf towers, The Gherkin (30 St. Mary Axe), Tower Bridge, Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, Oxford Street, Millennium Bridge, Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, the BT Tower, Docklands Light Railway, Piccadilly Circus and Waterloo Station.
It's estimated that over 13 million LEGO bricks have been used in the construction of the new attraction. Expert model makers from Windsor, Denmark and the Czech Republic have all collaborated on this project and the three teams have spent a staggering 24,000 hours creating this amazing skyline.
Prince Harry is not the first member of the Royal Family to be honoured with a replica made from the famous bricks - there are in fact two LEGO models of HM the Queen in LEGOLAND. One can be found on Horse Guards Parade in Miniland and the other is a life-sized LEGO bust in the LEGO Creation Centre, alongside models of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William and even Queen Victoria.
LEGOLAND Windsor is a partner in Tourism South East's Family Fun campaign and for information on other attractions that are great for family days out in the South East, visit www.visitsoutheastengland.com/familyfun
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To attend the Photo-call:
Please call Sarah Sheldon at Isis PR on 01844 212 005 or email ss@isispr.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
For more information on visiting LEGOLAND Windsor, go to www.legoland.co.uk
LEGOLAND Windsor opens from 25 March - 29 October 2006 (closed on selected dates so please check dates and opening times by visiting www.legoland.co.uk
Discounts available on advanced bookings. Book online at www.legoland.co.uk or call 08705 04 04 04.
Entrance for children under three years of age is free. Adult day entrance ticket is £30.00, child and senior day entrance ticket is £23.00. Annual passes start from £58.00 for adults and £45.00 for children and seniors.
Great value breaks to LEGOLAND Windsor start from just £159 for a family of four, which includes two days unlimited access to the park and one night's accommodation at the nearby Holiday Inn Reading South, on a bed and breakfast basis with parking. To book with LEGOLAND Holidays, visit www.legolandhotels.co.uk or call 0870 844 2829.
For more information or images, please call:
Gina Bryant or Sarah Sheldon at Isis PR on 01844 212 005 or
Alison Bledge, PR Manager, LEGOLAND Windsor on 01753 626 125
Miniland London Facts & Figures
The new London area in Miniland is the biggest 'cluster' ever created for LEGOLAND Windsor with a massive surface area of 330m².
The largest Miniland London model is One Canada Square, standing at 5.2 metres in height and built on an impressive 1:50 scale. The model skyscraper took 855 hours to build and used around 200,000 LEGO bricks.
The LEGO model of the HSBC tower took 743 hours to build, using 193,000 bricks. The Citibank model took 850 hours to build, using 179,000 bricks. Both model skyscrapers stand at 4.5 metres tall.
170,000 LEGO bricks were used to create the 1:50 scale replica of 30 St. Mary Axe (The Gherkin) and the model stands at 4 metres tall. It took 585 hours to build and just like the original, each floor of the LEGO brick model rotates at 5° from the one below.
The LEGO replica of City Hall was constructed by model maker Katie Aldred on a 1:40 scale and took 400 hours to build. It contains nearly 38,000 LEGO bricks, stands at approximately 2.5 metres high and like the original features 10 floors.
There are only 35 different types of silver LEGO bricks and this tested the model maker's creativity and design skills when constructing the City Hall model. As with all LEGOLAND models, no special elements were used or any short-cuts taken. The City Hall model features exactly the same bricks sold in LEGO retail kits.
Model maker Ryan Keen from Cippenham built the LEGO brick replica of the Lloyd's building on a 1:40 scale. Thanks to architectural plans supplied by Lloyd's, the LEGO model is an accurate replica with six distinctive vertical towers, each with its own animated lift.
The LEGO model of the Lloyd's building took 770 hours to build and contains 250,000 LEGO bricks.
The LEGO model of the Millennium Bridge took in excess of 200 hours to build, using 31,500 bricks. It is 4 metres long and is built on a scale of 1:20.
Before installation, all the LEGO models were sprayed with a protective ultraviolet coating which uses the latest technology to ensure they can withstand the toughest weather conditions and remain in tip top condition all year round.
The cluster features six animation loops. Now covered by the rubber surfacing, the loops give an invisible path for the vehicles to follow and direct them to re-charging points. These are positioned around Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, St Paul's Cathedral, Horse Guards Parade and Tower Bridge.
Over 2.5 kilometres of wiring has been used for the Miniland London attraction and supplies power for 160 LEGO brick lamp posts featured in the cluster.
200 tonnes of concrete were poured into the foundations of Miniland London.
Piccadilly Circus is built on a scale of 1:30 and contains up to 20,000 LEGO bricks. It features almost 220 clear bricks which have been used to create a lenticular display which gives the hoardings a 3D moving effect.
Additional model scale figures:
Oxford Street - 1:20
Houses of Parliament - 1:20
Big Ben - 1:50
Docklands Light Railway - 1:20
Waterloo Station - 1:20
Nelson's Column - 1:25
Buckingham Palace - 1:30
For more information or images, please call:
Gina Bryant or Sarah Sheldon at Isis PR on 01844 212 005 or
Alison Bledge, PR Manager, LEGOLAND Windsor on 01753 626 125