Kent


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-location">THE LOCATION</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="2000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-8.jpg" alt="Brickwrecks exhibition at The Historic Dockyard in Chatham three kids playing with the lego exhibitions" class="wp-image-113319" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-8.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-8-600x800.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-8-750x1000.jpg 750w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-8-300x400.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-8-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-8-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Since March 2025, No 1 Smithery, a large exhibition space with both permanent and temporary exhibitions at&nbsp;<a href="https://kent.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/historic-dockyard-chatham/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Historic Dockyard Chatham</a>, has been home to the internationally acclaimed:&nbsp;<a href="https://thedockyard.co.uk/events/brickwrecks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in LEGO® Bricks</em></a>. The Dockyard is home to historic warships, lifeboats and even a submarine, as well as the Call the Midwife official tour, and until August, also houses this immersive exhibition exploring renowned shipwrecks from history, displayed through the medium of LEGO®.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-lowdown">THE LOWDOWN</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="844" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-2-1.jpg" alt="Brickwrecks exhibition at The Historic Dockyard in Chatham three kids playing with the lego exhibitions" class="wp-image-113327" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-2-1.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-2-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-2-1-1000x563.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-2-1-400x225.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-2-1-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>If you are looking for a half term activity for the kids that is fun and educational, then look no further than&nbsp;<a href="https://thedockyard.co.uk/events/brickwrecks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in LEGO® Bricks</em></a>&nbsp;at Chatham Dockyard. Perfect for kids and the big kids at heart &#8211; running from now until 31 August 2025 (so perfect for a weekend or summer holiday day trip).</p>



<p>Brickwrecks is a brilliant mix of history and creativity that’ll take you on a deep-sea adventure through time. Think Legoland meets a maritime museum, but minus the rides! The exhibition brings famous shipwrecks to life with amazingly detailed LEGO® recreations—from the swashbuckling pirate ships of the 17<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;and 18<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;centuries, to the tragedy of the “unsinkable” Titanic in 1912. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/historic-dockyard-chatham.jpg" alt="The Historic Dockyard Chatham's ship HMS Gannet" class="wp-image-106407" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/historic-dockyard-chatham.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/historic-dockyard-chatham-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/historic-dockyard-chatham-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/historic-dockyard-chatham-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/historic-dockyard-chatham-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Visitors can explore the stories behind these legendary ships, learn what made them so important, and discover some of the fascinating treasures found at their underwater resting places, where archaeologists have uncovered their past lives. These scaled models range from one to three metres in length, and have been built with hundreds of thousands of LEGO® pieces (not to mention many hours and a lot of patience!) It’s a fun and eye-opening way to dive into over 3,000 years of sea-faring history and get the kids thinking about what really lurks at the bottom of our seas!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-experience">THE EXPERIENCE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="844" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-6-1.jpg" alt="Brickwrecks exhibition at The Historic Dockyard in Chatham three kids playing with the lego exhibitions" class="wp-image-113331" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-6-1.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-6-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-6-1-1000x563.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-6-1-400x225.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-6-1-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>I visited with my nine year old son and twin seven year old daughters, who are all very into LEGO®, as the many “creations” displayed in our house will lay testament to. They have all also recently been to Chatham Dockyard on a school trip, so the experience is fresh in their mind and they were very keen to go back. After eventually managing to steer them through the gift shop, which doubles up as the ticket office, we made our way to No 1 Smithery, which houses the exhibition.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="2000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-3.jpg" alt="Brickwrecks exhibition at The Historic Dockyard in Chatham one young boy looking down at the lego exhbition" class="wp-image-113314" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-3.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-3-600x800.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-3-750x1000.jpg 750w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-3-300x400.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-3-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-3-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Walking around, each exhibit is breathtakingly intricate with an incredible amount of attention to detail. You really can get a feel for what these impressive ships would have looked like. Each ship displays its story and has facts and figures in digestible chunks, perfect for young minds to handle. For example: did you know there were 12 dogs on board Titanic, some of whom were supposed to be attending a Dog Show on disembarkment in New York? Or that 8 million coins were found on the Shinan?</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="844" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-5-1.jpg" alt="Brickwrecks exhibition at The Historic Dockyard in Chatham kids playing on the interactive tablets found at the exhibition" class="wp-image-113330" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-5-1.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-5-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-5-1-1000x563.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-5-1-400x225.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-5-1-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>There are also immersive and interactive elements to each ship, some have buttons to press that show extra information, others have tablets which talk you through some of the cutting edge technologies with which archaeologists uncovered the clues as to how these ships met their fates, there is an X ray machine to show hidden objects in rock and there is even a computer where you can try you hand at steering an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) &#8211; underwater robot to you and I.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="2000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-14.jpg" alt="the Titanic made completely out of lego and suspended vertically in the air, found at Brickwrecks exhibition at The Historic Dockyard in Chatham" class="wp-image-113325" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-14.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-14-600x800.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-14-750x1000.jpg 750w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-14-300x400.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-14-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-14-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>But (spoiler alert!), the&nbsp;pièce de résistance&nbsp;has to be the spectacular Titanic, which is suspended vertically several feet in the air, in that iconic position, where the bow is about to enter the water, after the stern section has broken off. It is simply jaw dropping.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="844" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-3-1.jpg" alt="Brickwrecks exhibition at The Historic Dockyard in Chatham three kids playing with the computers designing their own lego" class="wp-image-113328" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-3-1.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-3-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-3-1-1000x563.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-3-1-400x225.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/brickwrecks-historic-dockyard-chatham-3-1-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>We ended up spending just as much time in the &#8220;build-your-own&#8221; areas as we did exploring the rest of the exhibits. These creative zones feature large tables filled with buckets of LEGO® pieces, where visitors are invited to take on fun challenges—like building a lifeboat or designing their own ship—and then proudly display their masterpieces on the nearby shelves. As an added bonus, the experience inspired my kids to get out their own LEGO® collections as soon as we got home, so the fun continued well beyond our visit!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scoff-amp-quaff">SCOFF &amp; QUAFF</h2>



<p>There are two eating spots onsite, The Mess Deck Restaurant and Wagon Stop Canteen so you really can make a day of it. Alternatively, picnics are very welcome in some of the open spaces if you’d prefer to bring your own food.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-anything-else">ANYTHING ELSE?</h2>



<p>Check out the half term what’s on guide, where there is even more to see and do each day in the&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://thedockyard.co.uk/events/brickwrecks/"><em>Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in LEGO® Bricks</em></a>&nbsp;exhibition. There is interactive storytelling, hands-on shipbuilding and then testing the ship’s endurance in the wave simulation tanks, creating survivors’ log books and blue prints, as well as writing messages in a bottle!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<p><strong>Good for?</strong> Children of all ages will have a great time—and even the youngest visitors can get stuck in, thanks to a dedicated Duplo area designed just for them. Grown-ups (or big kids at heart) will also enjoy getting involved, whether it’s helping build creations or exploring the fascinating facts on display. And for those with a real interest in maritime history, there’s plenty to dive into (pun intended!), making it an experience that’s both entertaining and educational for the whole family.</p>



<p><strong>Not for?</strong> Older teens may not get as much out of it as younger children.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-damage">THE DAMAGE</h2>



<p>Entry into&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://thedockyard.co.uk/events/brickwrecks/"><em>Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in LEGO® Bricks</em></a>&nbsp;is included with your general admission ticket to the dockyards, but what’s even better is that tickets are valid for a whole year, and there is definitely enough to see to warrant a repeat visit. Brickwrecks is running until August, so there is plenty of time to go back again.</p>



<p>Prices start from £16 for a child to £87 for a family of five (online prices purchased in advance).</p>


Review: Brickwrecks, The Historic Dockyard Chatham

You may also like