Another Lego creation: Aberfenntag

Hello readers! I made this Lego model a while ago, so it’s about time that I added it to the collection. This is the dark, rainy city of Aberfenntag, which is a pivotal location in my fantasy novel, Highmoor – now available in physical form, if you hadn’t heard! For those of you that have read the book, you might spot a few familiar details, but for those who haven’t, I hope you can enjoy still enjoy this micro-scale Lego fortress without any context.

My favourite parts of this build:

1. The staircase leading up to the fortress drawbridge. These steps are made from 2×1 bricks with a grill/fluted profile, but I have attached them to a hinge, hidden at the base of the staircase, and angled them at 45 degrees. Had to do some trigonometry and trial and error to get them to align properly with the tiles at the top… Also, the drawbridge can be raised and lowered!

2. The red trees around the plaza at the base of the staircase. These are meant to be copper beech trees, but I just find their tiny little technic-pin trunks and general symmetry very pleasing (the trees were also one of my favourite parts of my Durham Cathedral build).

3.The warped layers of rock visible at the back of the model. In previous builds, I left the sides plain grey, which wasn’t very interesting. This time, I have created rock layers with different colours and textures, which has made the back of the model a bit more appealing. Again, I made use of the bricks with a grill/fluted texture, trying to make them look like cooling joints in basalt (picture the Giant’s Causeway). I tried something similar in my Imperial Palace build, but it was more effective this time around.

In summary…

I’ll be adding this model to the Highmoor art page, where you can find all of my previous builds, as well as character sketches and maps from my books. I’m only a few chapters away from finishing the fourth and final instalment in the series, so I should be able to provide an update on that by the spring.

In other news, I’m about to start reading Prince Caspian, following on from last week’s deep-dive into The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I’m going to get through the whole of C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia in the first half of this year, with a new instalment every month. By the time I’m finished, maybe we will know more about the film adaptations that are meant to arrive later this year?

Happy reading, and have a lovely week!

Links:

Highmoor art page: https://cwclaytonauthor.co.uk/highmoor-series-art/

All art posts (including Lego): https://cwclaytonauthor.co.uk/category/art/

Durham Cathedral build: https://cwclaytonauthor.co.uk/2025/06/29/updates-and-a-lego-cathedral/