I always loved Lego as a child and this passion was rekindled in my 30s when I had my own children. Lego always makes me think of Christmas as I received so many of my favourite sets as presents.

We have a modest collection of bricks in the house from my kids’ old sets and a few more recent purchases so I decided to try and create some models of local landmarks.

I noticed a larger number of white and yellow pieces so the Lewis Arms was an obvious place to start. I’m pleased with little details like the sign and benches. The trees aren’t accurate but I wanted to add a bit of greenery.

With a few thousand more bricks, maybe I could attempt a bigger project like Robert Carney! I wrote about Robert’s fantastic creations way back in 2014.

The next building I wanted to attempt was the toll house. I had a decent amount of tan bricks so I started planning its construction.

This was far more complex than the Lewis Arms with the different angles and shapes to try and capture. I could definitely make some improvements by purchasing some specific parts but a lot of the fun is working with what you’ve got.

I’m particularly pleased with the sideways building technique I used for the red tiled floor and I managed to include the Tongwynlais heart.

I really enjoy the process of simplifying complex objects into simpler forms. Building Lego at this scale is very similar to pixel art.

I created this miniature model of Castell Coch as part of a Cardiff skyline that I posted on social media earlier this year. I’ve been working on developing this project so look out for updates soon.

What Tongwynlais buildings would you like to see in Lego?