13 stunning pictures show a 'sandcastle city' being created at the Lancashire seaside

The Humanise movement brought its push for “more joyful, engaging and human” architecture to Lancashire’s shores this week.

Artists ‘Sand in Your Eye’ created a three-metre wide metropolis of ‘bland castles’ – described as a “deliberately bleak installation” intended to help demolish the trend for “lifeless buildings” in the UK’s cities and towns.

As part of the protest, beachgoers were invited to “build for joy” by contributing their own sandcastles to sit alongside the uniform monoliths – and promptly shunned the rectilinear regularity of the sandy structures that towered over them.

Organisers said that the people’s creations boasted “more variety, interesting shapes and [were] decorated with shells, flags and stones - proving that when the public are invited to have a say, they can’t help but build something more joyful”.

Thomas Heatherwick, campaigner and designer said: “The Humanise campaign’s ‘bland castles’ beach takeover is a poignant idea, because it’s both powerful and also very playful – taking the beautifully simple act of building sandcastles on a beach, yet making them boring and soulless.

"That’s what’s been happening in our towns and cities for far too long. The places where we live, that are meant to lift us up, are instead bringing us down. But just look at what’s happening at Morecambe Bay when the public are invited to be involved.

"They, of course, don’t want soulless blocks, but instead are creating interesting, uplifting structures. Proof - if we really do still need it - that human beings need joyful human buildings with complexity, detail and interestingness.”

The Humanise campaign says there is a growing body of neuroscience and public health research confirming that “monotonous, dreary environments increase our stress levels and have a negative impact on our wellbeing”.

Our cameras were there to capture the striking displays, designed to send a message in sand.