Peterborough Cathedral has welcomed a major LEGO exhibition this summer as Anglican cathedrals across England continue expanding their cultural and family programmes alongside their traditional role as places of worship.
‘Travelling Bricks’ features more than 1 million LEGO bricks arranged into 120 models across 60 scenes celebrating engineering, exploration and transport.
The exhibition, which runs until 29 August, is divided into four themed zones - Air, Land, Sea and Space - with highlights including a 7.2-metre model of the Titanic, a 3-metre rocket, a Boeing 747 and recreations of historic ships such as HMS Victory and SS Great Britain.
Visitors can enjoy building their own creations in an interactive area containing 200,000 plus LEGO bricks, while younger children can explore a dedicated soft-brick play zone.
The exhibition joins another major attraction already on display at the cathedral: ‘Titanosaur,’ the Natural History Museum's enormous dinosaur display, which remains on loan until 13 September beneath the cathedral's central tower.
Peterborough Cathedral’s Paul Stainton said the combination of attractions was expected to make this the cathedral’s busiest summer programme to date.
“This is shaping up to be our biggest summer yet at Peterborough Cathedral. With both Travelling Bricks and Titanosaur under one roof, families can easily spend hours exploring, learning, playing and creating memories together right in the heart of the city,” he said.
To support local businesses and encourage tourism during the school holidays, Peterborough City Council is also giving visitors twice as much parking time for the usual two-hour fee throughout the summer.
The exhibition comes as England’s cathedrals continue attracting growing numbers of visitors through a mixture of worship, heritage, education and cultural events.
Newly published Church of England figures show cathedral attendance increased for the fifth consecutive year in 2025, with adult Sunday attendance rising by 8% compared with the previous year.
Beyond regular services, England’s cathedrals received more than 9.2 million visitors and welcomed 1.83 million people at concerts, graduations, exhibitions and other civic events during the year.
A recent report by the think tank Theos described cathedrals as important civic and spiritual “beacons,” finding that 77% of adults in England had visited a cathedral within the last three years, including more than two-thirds of people with no religious affiliation.
Researchers said that cathedrals increasingly serve as places of worship, heritage, education and community life, while also making a significant contribution to local economies.
At the same time, the report warned that many cathedrals continue to face significant financial pressures despite their significant public role, with four out of five continuing to face persistent funding shortfalls.
Tickets for Travelling Bricks can be purchased online and at the cathedral, priced at £10 for adults and £6 for children and students.
