Students from The University of Manchester’s Physics Society have constructed a remarkable 30,500-piece Lego model of the iconic Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank, commemorating the observatory’s 80th anniversary.
Designed by the undergraduate Physics Society, the sculpture is based on the telescope’s original engineering blueprints, ensuring a high level of accuracy and detail. Student James Ruxton spent six months perfecting the design using computer software to model and test different structures, producing a 4,000-page instruction manual. He even custom-designed some Lego pieces, using a 3D printer to create bespoke bricks.
James and fellow Physics Society members began building the sculpture in late April. The finished model weighs 30kg, with 12.5kg attributed to the dish alone. Due to its weight, the dish had to be reinforced with a steel pole—mirroring a real-life engineering challenge faced during the telescope’s original construction eighty years ago.
The sculpture serves as a tribute to the University’s pioneering role in astrophysics and engineering. It will be on permanent display in the Schuster Building, housed in a specially modified cabinet alongside a Lego model of a Large Hadron Collider detector—built by students a decade ago.
A unique feature of the sculpture is a brick which was signed by Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell – the physicist who discovered Pulsars – during her visit to the University to deliver this year’s annual Bragg Lecture in March.
The sculpture arrives in time to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Jodrell Bank, a site of immense significance to The University of Manchester and to science in the UK.
Professor Chris Parkes, Head of the Physics and Astronomy department, has been supporting the students with their project. He reflected: “Jodrell Bank has always been a symbol of bold innovation – pushing the boundaries of science and engineering from its earliest days.
