Early days. Help shape a future 3D and VR walkthrough of historic Hilperton.
A community project · Hilperton, Wiltshire
Old photographs. Familiar streets. Stories worth keeping. We are gathering the evidence for a historic village you will one day be able to explore in 3D and virtual reality.
The long ambition
Imagine walking through Hilperton at different moments in its history: familiar streets transformed, old shops open for business, and village life unfolding around you.
Our starting point will be the village that stands today. We plan to model its existing buildings and streets in 3D, then overlay historic photographs, matching the views to the buildings and landmarks that survive.
From there, we will recreate earlier scenes graphically: restoring lost details, changing shopfronts and street surfaces, and bringing the village to life with characters, conversations and everyday activity inspired by local stories.
The ambition is a virtual reality walkthrough that lets you explore Hilperton at different stages in its history, with the photographs and stories behind each scene close at hand. Every photograph, memory and piece of research helps us build that picture.
We also want to collect and publish the stories behind the places: family memories, remarkable lives and wartime experiences, at home and far beyond the village.
Coming soon: the stories of Hilperton’s members of Bomber Command during the Second World War, and Hilperton’s role in building the Spitfire.
Do you have a story, letter, diary or photograph to share? We would love to hear from you.
Could you help with scanning, checking captions or researching village history? You do not need your own collection or specialist knowledge to take part.
Three places to start
We are looking for the ordinary details that bring a village to life.
A bend in the road, a wall, a line of roofs: old views can help us connect one part of the village to another. Writing and publisher marks on the back can be just as useful as the picture.
Have you got a postcard of Hilperton? We would welcome a copy of both sides.
If you come across photographs of people in an old family album, we’d love to see them. Even if you don’t know everyone’s name, a note on the back or a family memory may help us work out who they were.
Do you have a name, an inscription or a remembered story? Please share personal details privately first.
Ordinary photographs record how a village changes: road surfaces, shop signs, delivery vehicles and the routes people walked. The background of a family snapshot may hold the detail a reconstruction needs.
We are looking for wide street scenes and memories of everyday village life, particularly from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Your contribution, handled with care
You keep your originals, and we agree what may be published and how you would like to be credited.
Read our handling and privacy commitments →Discover familiar streets and glimpses of village life in the historic photographs.
Explore the photographs →Keep in touch
Hear about new material and opportunities to help.