LEGO says 10350 Tudor Corner wasn’t always going to be a pub
The LEGO designer behind 10350 Tudor Corner says the newest modular building wasn’t always going to be a pub – and a nod to the original concept can still be found in the finished set.
Unveiled earlier today, 10350 Tudor Corner channels various British tropes into a single set, celebrating the island’s architecture from across the centuries – along with a handful of typical establishments you can find littering any good English town or city. Top of that list is The Old Guarded Inn, the name of the set’s traditional public house, which incorporates a bar, kitchen and indoor and outdoor seating.
While nobody could say that the inn (or pub, let’s call a spade a spade) doesn’t look the part, it actually wasn’t the first option on the cards for 10350 Tudor Corner. Green LEGO designer François Zapf – whose set credits so far include only 10350 Tudor Corner and 40729 Shackleton’s Lifeboat – told New Elementary that the original concept instead included another British staple. And while it didn’t make it into the finished set, there is a nod to it on one of the inn’s printed tiles.
“You may notice on the menu that there’s fish, because at first it was designed as a fish and chips restaurant,” François explained. “We moved away from that idea, and instead we integrated this [into] the storyline. ‘Oh no, what if the fish was actually rotten?’ Because we added kittens, it’s still funny, because you can put the kitten next to it.”
A physical fish piece – in an appetising rotted green colour – can be found around the back of the building in the dumpster, and the area around it leaves plenty of space to place one of the set’s two cats. The LEGO modular buildings have prioritised storytelling since as far back as 10243 Parisian Restaurant (but to a greater degree in 10246 Detective’s Office), so it’s no surprise to see François taking that opportunity again here.
What’s especially amusing about this nugget of information is that 10350 Tudor Corner was at one stage rumoured to be a fish and chip shop. And while that obviously hasn’t come to pass, it’s funny to think that – in hindsight – there was the tiniest element of truth to that particular report…
10350 Tudor Corner launches January 1, 2025 for £199.99 / $229.99 / €229.99. Early adopters will receive a free copy of 40757 Corner Kiosk, available from January 1 to 7 or while stocks last.
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