Roman architecture came to Crawley after a legion of students from Central Sussex College completed their very own, miniature version of the Colosseum!

The fifteen students, all aged 16-19, are studying Building Craft Occupations (BCO) at the Crawley campus, and were inspired to recreate the world famous structure after looking at construction techniques throughout the ages.

Tutor Mark Blake said: “I wanted the group use their imaginations, and see the potential of bricks and mortar. I was keen that they used their imaginations, and wanted them to see the potential of bricks and mortar – to realise that they could do much more with it than building flat walls and uninspiring structures.”

The Colosseum has now been demolished, and the materials re-cycled for new projects, but it has been such a success that it will be repeated next year. The faculty are also keen to incorporate a trip to Fishbourne Roman Palace in Chichester or even to the Colosseum itself in Rome, for students to experience the scale of the structure first-hand.