This amazing sand sculpture of the 575-year-old King’s College Chapel is the result of 48 hours of painstaking work.
Talented sculptors used more than a metric ton (1000 kg) of building sand to craft the scale model, which is 7 feet long and 3 feet tall.
The artists went into immaculate detail to recreate the iconic Cambridge University building, which is home to the world-famous King’s College Choir.
Artists Jamie Wardley and Mark Lewis, from sand sculpting company Sand in Your Eye, worked through the night to create the model in Cambridge’s main shopping center.
Liz Warrington, a creative at the firm, said: “We had to go down to very fine detail with King’s. Because the architecture is so intricate, it took two full days of working through the night and day.
“We got all the sand into the shopping center and compacted it down.
“Using sculpting and carving tools, the sculptors started very roughly and got more detailed using finer and finer tools.
“Carving took place during the day so that shoppers could watch what was going on.”
King’s College Chapel itself was built in phases from 1446 to 1515 and was finally completed with stained glass windows under King Henry VIII’s rule in 1531.
Jamie and Mark also recreated Cambridge’s Bridge of Sighs, a near-300-year-old crossing point over the River Cam, the main river that flows through Cambridge.
Liz said that sculptors prefer to use building sand rather than beach sand for their models as it’s more durable.
“Beach sand is the worst sand to make sculptures with because it’s been washing in and out and it’s so smooth. It won’t last longer than a day,” she said.
“Building sand has lots of clay and jagged edges so it’s much stronger. The models could stay there indefinitely.”
The two sculptures, commissioned by the Grand Arcade shopping center in Cambridge, will remain in place until the end of the summer.
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