The Lewis Chessmen

The Lewis Chessmen may look familiar to you - copies of them were used in the Harry Potter films. They were made in Norway in the eleventh century, but found hidden on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Nobody knows why, or how, they got there.

We made our own Lewis Chessmen using salt dough.

How to make

1. Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl.

2. Add the food colouring if you want to make red chessmen.

3. Add the boiling water and mix with a wooden spoon.

4. Choose which chessman you want to copy. Once the dough has cooled down you can get started. Leave it at least overnight to harden - or you can bake it in a low oven for a few hours.

Optional: Before you add the boiling water
Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil to make the dough easier to shape
Add 1 tbsp lemon juice to make your finished chessmen harder
Add 1 tbsp wallpaper paste to make the dough stretchier

Find out more about the Lewis Chessmen

Created your own Lewis Chessmen?
Send us photos of your work