Jim Gleed, a first year studying Education, has built a Lego model of Christ’s Boathouse in his College room.
The scale model (approximately 1:42) includes the boathouse and waterfront, a detailed interior, two eights (crews), members of the Boat Club and even the dog which belongs to Head Coach, Kate Hurst.
Jim, 19, who started rowing for Newark Rowing Club in 2020 and continues now that he’s a student at Cambridge, said:
“The boathouse is such an iconic part of my college life, I spend almost as much time there as I do in my bedroom.
I wanted to celebrate a building that means a lot to many students using a hobby I've had since childhood.”
The model which is approximately 100cm x 80cm has taken 'countless’ hours to design, test, and build with an estimated 10,000 bricks.
Jim used a combination of the Lego digital design tool, trial and error, and help from friends. He says that the hardest part was figuring out how to create the Concept 2 rowing machines using lots of tiny pieces.
He said:
“The brick-by-brick building process changed how I see the real thing as I now pick up each small detail I previously walked past hundreds of times.”
Jim says that his undergraduate study has helped to accomplish the project through skills such as planning, resilience, creativity and problem solving.
Christ’s Fellow, Professor Jenny Gibson, is the co-director of Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDAL). She said:
“Hands-on activities are not only lots of fun but also an important part of education, whatever your age.
Building with tangible materials can help students explore problems from different perspectives, provide a sense of accomplishment and foster connections to others in their community - all of which support wellbeing and motivation for learning.”
Jim intends that the model will raise the profile of rowing and Christ’s boathouse which was built in 1887 and is the oldest wooden-framed boathouse on the River Cam. It was renovated in 2018 when it was renamed the Blyth-McGregor Boathouse.
