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'''David W. Lyall''' was a model designer at [[LEGO UK Ltd]].
{{Infobox person
| image          = David Lyall - Old King Cole, 1980 (cropped).jpg
| alt            = David Lyall, seen here in his mid-60s, wearing an orange sweater and holding a LEGO mouse model from the 1980 Kipper advertisement
| caption        = David Lyall in 1980
| birth_name    = Frederick David Weatherston Lyall
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1916|11|29|df=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Wikipedia:Chorlton, Lancashire|Chorlton]], [[Wikipedia:Lancashire|Lancashire]], England
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|2000|5|11|1916|11|29|df=y}}
| death_place    = [[Wikipedia:Denbighshire|Denbighshire]], Wales
| other_names    =
| occupation    = [[LEGO model designer]]
| years_active  = 1962−1983
| known_for      =
| notable_works  =
| signature      = FDW Lyall signature.png
| signature_alt  = FDW Lyall
}}
 
'''Frederick David Weatherston Lyall''' (29 November 1916 − 11 May 2000)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ringtailraider.neocities.org/WikiArchives/DavidLyall-records |title=David Lyall registration index records |access-date=30 September 2025}}</ref> was a British artist who worked as a [[model designer]] at [[LEGO UK Ltd]].
 
== Bio ==
David Lyall went to art school and worked at an advertising agency until [[Wikipedia:World War II|World War II]]. He spent seven years in the [[Wikipedia:British Army during the Second World War|British Army]] during the war, mostly in the [[Wikipedia:Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II|Middle East theatre]]. After the war he worked various jobs, including designing [[Wikipedia:Point of sale display|point of sale]] [[Wikipedia:Point of sale display|material]] and larger displays for stores, and as a cook on a [[Wikipedia:Fishing trawler|fishing trawler]].<ref name="Art of Lego"/><ref name="Wiencek 1987"/>
 
Lyall joined [[British LEGO Ltd]] on 4 November 1962.<ref name="Bricks n Pieces 83-3"/> He was part of the original design team at British LEGO (later LEGO UK), along with [[Kenneth Jones]] and [[Brena John]]. The three designed and constructed LEGO models for exhibitions and shop promotions.<ref name="Parsons 2022"/> Lyall's first LEGO model designed was a small cow. His first large display was a {{cvt|2000|sqft}} scene from ''[[Wikipedia:Alice in Wonderland|Alice in Wonderland]]'', created for a London store's [[Wikipedia:Christmas grotto|Christmas grotto]] in 1963.<ref name="Bricks n Pieces 83-3"/>
 
When ''[[Bricks 'n Pieces|Bricks and Pieces]]'' (later ''Bricks 'n Pieces'') was launched in December 1974, Lyall was regularly featured with his works, both large displays he worked on and smaller model ideas that readers could also build.<ref name="Bricks and Pieces 74"/> Starting in the summer 1981 issue, which saw the publication expanded from a four-page newsletter to an eight-page magazine, he had his own [[Wikipedia:Column (periodical)|column]] called "The David Lyall Spot".<ref name="Bricks n Pieces 81-2"/>
 
Lyall retired from LEGO UK at the end of November 1983.<ref name="Bricks n Pieces 83-3"/><ref name="Wiencek 1987"/> His final build was a series of figures based on the [[Wikipedia:Arthurian legend|legends of]] [[Wikipedia:King Arthur|King Arthur]]. He was succeeded as LEGO UK's chief model designer by [[John Duffield]].<ref name="Bricks n Pieces 84-1"/><ref name="Bricks n Pieces 84-2"/><ref name="Wiencek 1987"/>


David Lyall joined LEGO on 4 November 1962.<ref name="Bricks n Pieces 83-3"/> He was part of the original design team at British Lego Ltd, along with [[Kenneth Jones]] and [[Brena John]]. The three designed and constructed LEGO models for exhibitions and shop promotions.<ref name="Parsons 2022"/>
Lyall's two favourite models he created were a recreation of the [[Wikipedia:Irish State Coach|Irish State Coach]] (1977) and a piece based on the story of [[Wikipedia:Saint George and the Dragon|St. George and the Dragon]] (1980).<ref name="Bricks n Pieces 83-3"/><ref name="Wiencek 1987"/>
Lyall retired at the end of November 1983.<ref name="Bricks n Pieces 83-3"/><ref name="Wiencek 1987"/>


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
<gallery>
A selection of LEGO models and displays created by David Lyall, largely sourced from ''Bricks 'n Pieces''.
File:A scene from Alice in Wonderland made from LEGO bricks by David Lyall.jpg | ''Alice in Wonderland'', 1963
 
<gallery mode=packed>
A scene from Alice in Wonderland made from LEGO bricks by David Lyall (fix).png | ''Alice in Wonderland'', 1963
David Lyall - Gullivers Travels 1975 (BnP Autumn 1983).jpg | ''Gullivers Travels'' (with Kenneth Jones), 1975
David Lyall - Gullivers Travels 1975 (BnP Autumn 1983).jpg | ''Gullivers Travels'' (with Kenneth Jones), 1975
David Lyall - The Irish Stage Coach 1977 (BnP Autumn 1983).jpg | ''The Irish Stage Coach'', 1977
David Lyall - The Irish Stage Coach 1977 (BnP Autumn 1983).jpg | ''The Irish Stage Coach'', 1977
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David Lyall - The Wind in the Willows (BnP Spring 1983).jpg | ''The Wind in the Willows'', 1982
David Lyall - The Wind in the Willows (BnP Spring 1983).jpg | ''The Wind in the Willows'', 1982
David Lyall - The ARK Building Company (BnP Summer 1983).jpg | ''The ARK Building Company'', 1983
David Lyall - The ARK Building Company (BnP Summer 1983).jpg | ''The ARK Building Company'', 1983
LEGO Wild West to be seen in Dublin (BnP Spring 1983).jpg
David Lyall's big space model (BnP Summer 1983).jpg
The LEGO Storks (BnP Summer 1983).jpg
Wild West (BnP Summer 1983).jpg
</gallery>
</gallery>


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist|refs=
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="Art of Lego">{{cite book |title=[[The ART of LEGO]] |year=1988 |editor-first=Ken |editor-last=Baynes |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Clwyd County Council|Clwyd County Council]] |location=[[Wikipedia:Mold, Flintshire|Mold]], [[Wikipedia:Clwyd|Clwyd]] |ISBN=0-904449-40-8 |chapter=The Genesis of the Idea |first=Clive |last=Nicholls |author-link=Clive Nicholls |pages=36-37}}</ref>
<ref name="Bricks and Pieces 74">{{cite magazine |title=The Model Page |magazine=[[Bricks and Pieces (newsletter)|Bricks and Pieces]] |date=December 1974 |number=1 |editor-first=Clive |editor-last=Nicholls |editor-link=Clive Nicholls |location=[[Wikipedia:Wrexham|Wrexham]], [[Wikipedia:Clwyd|Clwyd]] |publisher=[[British LEGO Ltd]] |page=4 |url=https://images.brickset.com/library/view/?f=bricksAndPieces/1974-1%20December&p=4}}</ref>
<ref name="Bricks n Pieces 81-2">{{cite magazine|title=The David Lyall Spot |magazine=[[Bricks 'n Pieces]] |date=Summer 1981 |editor-first=Susan |editor-last=Lister |location=[[Wikipedia:Wrexham|Wrexham]], [[Wikipedia:Clwyd|Clwyd]] |publisher=[[LEGO UK Ltd]] |page=8 |url=https://images.brickset.com/library/view/?f=bricksAndPieces/1981-2%20Summer&p=8}}</ref>
<ref name="Bricks n Pieces 83-3">{{cite interview |title=Goodbye David Lyall |magazine=[[Bricks 'n Pieces]] |date=Autumn 1983 |volume=1 |number=3 |first=David |last=Lyall |editor-first1=Susan |editor-last1=Lister |editor-first2=Michael |editor-last2=Moore |location=[[Wikipedia:Wrexham|Wrexham]], [[Wikipedia:Clwyd|Clwyd]] |publisher=[[LEGO UK Ltd]] |pages=4-5 |url=https://images.brickset.com/library/view/?f=bricksAndPieces/1983-3%20Autumn&p=5}}</ref>
<ref name="Bricks n Pieces 83-3">{{cite interview |title=Goodbye David Lyall |magazine=[[Bricks 'n Pieces]] |date=Autumn 1983 |volume=1 |number=3 |first=David |last=Lyall |editor-first1=Susan |editor-last1=Lister |editor-first2=Michael |editor-last2=Moore |location=[[Wikipedia:Wrexham|Wrexham]], [[Wikipedia:Clwyd|Clwyd]] |publisher=[[LEGO UK Ltd]] |pages=4-5 |url=https://images.brickset.com/library/view/?f=bricksAndPieces/1983-3%20Autumn&p=5}}</ref>
<ref name="Bricks n Pieces 84-1">{{cite magazine|title=The Sword in the Stone |magazine=[[Bricks 'n Pieces]] |date=Spring 1984 |volume=2 |number=1 |editor-first1=Susan |editor-last1=Lister |editor-first2=Michael |editor-last2=Moore |location=[[Wikipedia:Wrexham|Wrexham]], [[Wikipedia:Clwyd|Clwyd]] |publisher=[[LEGO UK Ltd]] |page=12 |url=https://images.brickset.com/library/view/?f=bricksAndPieces/1984-1%20Spring&p=12}}</ref>
<ref name="Bricks n Pieces 84-2">{{cite magazine|title=New Model Designer |magazine=[[Bricks 'n Pieces]] |date=Summer 1984 |volume=2 |number=2 |editor-first1=Susan |editor-last1=Lister |editor-first2=Michael |editor-last2=Moore |location=[[Wikipedia:Wrexham|Wrexham]], [[Wikipedia:Clwyd|Clwyd]] |publisher=[[LEGO UK Ltd]] |page=5 |url=https://images.brickset.com/library/view/?f=bricksAndPieces/1984-2%20Summer&p=5}}</ref>


<ref name="Parsons 2022">{{cite web |url=https://www.love-wrexham.com/2022/04/21/love-wrexham-love-lego/ |title=Love Wrexham, Love LEGO |first=Niomi |last=Parsons |date=21 April 2022 |website=Love Wrexham Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250926094125/https://www.love-wrexham.com/2022/04/21/love-wrexham-love-lego/ |archive-date=26 September 2025 |url-status=live |access-date=28 September 2025}}</ref>
<ref name="Parsons 2022">{{cite web |url=https://www.love-wrexham.com/2022/04/21/love-wrexham-love-lego/ |title=Love Wrexham, Love LEGO |first=Niomi |last=Parsons |date=21 April 2022 |website=Love Wrexham Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250926094125/https://www.love-wrexham.com/2022/04/21/love-wrexham-love-lego/ |archive-date=26 September 2025 |url-status=live |access-date=28 September 2025}}</ref>
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}}
}}


[[Category:LEGO sculptors]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyall, David}}
[[Category:1916 births]]
[[Category:2000 deaths]]
[[Category:LEGO model designers]]
[[Category:LEGO UK employees]]
[[Category:LEGO UK employees]]

Latest revision as of 06:12, 2 October 2025

David Lyall
David Lyall, seen here in his mid-60s, wearing an orange sweater and holding a LEGO mouse model from the 1980 Kipper advertisement
David Lyall in 1980
Born
Frederick David Weatherston Lyall

(1916-11-29)29 November 1916
Chorlton, Lancashire, England
Died11 May 2000(2000-05-11) (aged 83)
Denbighshire, Wales
OccupationLEGO model designer
Years active1962−1983
Signature
FDW Lyall

Frederick David Weatherston Lyall (29 November 1916 − 11 May 2000)[1] was a British artist who worked as a model designer at LEGO UK Ltd.

Bio

David Lyall went to art school and worked at an advertising agency until World War II. He spent seven years in the British Army during the war, mostly in the Middle East theatre. After the war he worked various jobs, including designing point of sale material and larger displays for stores, and as a cook on a fishing trawler.[2][3]

Lyall joined British LEGO Ltd on 4 November 1962.[4] He was part of the original design team at British LEGO (later LEGO UK), along with Kenneth Jones and Brena John. The three designed and constructed LEGO models for exhibitions and shop promotions.[5] Lyall's first LEGO model designed was a small cow. His first large display was a 2,000 sq ft (190 m2) scene from Alice in Wonderland, created for a London store's Christmas grotto in 1963.[4]

When Bricks and Pieces (later Bricks 'n Pieces) was launched in December 1974, Lyall was regularly featured with his works, both large displays he worked on and smaller model ideas that readers could also build.[6] Starting in the summer 1981 issue, which saw the publication expanded from a four-page newsletter to an eight-page magazine, he had his own column called "The David Lyall Spot".[7]

Lyall retired from LEGO UK at the end of November 1983.[4][3] His final build was a series of figures based on the legends of King Arthur. He was succeeded as LEGO UK's chief model designer by John Duffield.[8][9][3]

Lyall's two favourite models he created were a recreation of the Irish State Coach (1977) and a piece based on the story of St. George and the Dragon (1980).[4][3]

A selection of LEGO models and displays created by David Lyall, largely sourced from Bricks 'n Pieces.

  • Alice in Wonderland, 1963
    Alice in Wonderland, 1963
  • Gullivers Travels (with Kenneth Jones), 1975
    Gullivers Travels (with Kenneth Jones), 1975
  • The Irish Stage Coach, 1977
    The Irish Stage Coach, 1977
  • African Safari, 1978
    African Safari, 1978
  • The King was in the Counting House, 1979
    The King was in the Counting House, 1979
  • LEGOLAND Space Cruiser, 1979
    LEGOLAND Space Cruiser, 1979
  • St. George and the Dragon, 1980
    St. George and the Dragon, 1980
  • Dragon model from Kipper (1980)
    Dragon model from Kipper (1980)
  • Kipper and submarine models in Kipper (1980)
    Kipper and submarine models in Kipper (1980)
  • The Wind in the Willows, 1982
    The Wind in the Willows, 1982
  • The ARK Building Company, 1983
    The ARK Building Company, 1983

References

  1. ↑ "David Lyall registration index records". Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  2. ↑ Nicholls, Clive (1988). "The Genesis of the Idea". In Baynes, Ken (ed.). The ART of LEGO. Mold, Clwyd: Clwyd County Council. pp. 36–37. ISBN 0-904449-40-8.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Wiencek, Henry (1987). The World of LEGO Toys. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. pp. 152–157. ISBN 0-8109-2362-9.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Lyall, David (Autumn 1983). Lister, Susan; Moore, Michael (eds.). "Goodbye David Lyall". Bricks 'n Pieces (Interview). Vol. 1, no. 3. Wrexham, Clwyd: LEGO UK Ltd. pp. 4–5.
  5. ↑ Parsons, Niomi (21 April 2022). "Love Wrexham, Love LEGO". Love Wrexham Magazine. Archived from the original on 26 September 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  6. ↑ Nicholls, Clive, ed. (December 1974). "The Model Page". Bricks and Pieces. No. 1. Wrexham, Clwyd: British LEGO Ltd. p. 4.
  7. ↑ Lister, Susan, ed. (Summer 1981). "The David Lyall Spot". Bricks 'n Pieces. Wrexham, Clwyd: LEGO UK Ltd. p. 8.
  8. ↑ Lister, Susan; Moore, Michael, eds. (Spring 1984). "The Sword in the Stone". Bricks 'n Pieces. Vol. 2, no. 1. Wrexham, Clwyd: LEGO UK Ltd. p. 12.
  9. ↑ Lister, Susan; Moore, Michael, eds. (Summer 1984). "New Model Designer". Bricks 'n Pieces. Vol. 2, no. 2. Wrexham, Clwyd: LEGO UK Ltd. p. 5.
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