IT SURE BEATS LEGO!

Ex-policeman builds up a collection of 3,500 bricks

TO most people it’s just a mundane rectangular building block – an unlikely foundation for a decade-long passion.

But to Mark Cranston, 56, the house brick is ‘underrated, underappreciated, undervalued and overlooked’.

And as you can see here, the retired police sergeant unashamedly gets his ‘kicks out of bricks’ with a hoard of almost 3,500 to prove it. His collection of historical bricks, gathered over the past ten years, dates back to 1833 and is stored in his expanding garden shed.

He hopes one day they will form part of a brick museum. Each is catalogued with details of their origin. And Mr Cranston spends much of his time seeking out old buildings that are being demolished, and scouring former brickwork sites, rivers and shorelines. Supportive wife Karen, 47, and children Jonathon and Hannah even help him find ‘exhibits’.

He also set up the Scottish Brick History database five years ago, which has enabled him to team up with fellow collectors. Mr Cranston, of Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders, began his hobby in 2010 when looking for a doorstop for his shed. He cemented his obsession after finding a white brick from a former colliery and explained: ‘When I looked it up online I was surprised by the history behind bricks.’ He admitted: ‘It takes up a lot of time but it’s a passion.’

The Daily Mail has this year reported on other devoted collectors – men with bizarre treasure troves of beer cans, model planes and even hole punches.