1930s Bristol city centre recreated in virtual reality

Mr Horton expects it will take two years to recreate the area in 3D

An amateur historian and modeller is rebuilding a district of Bristol which was destroyed in the Blitz using virtual reality.

The area, which is now Castle Park in the centre, was once filled with around 1,000 buildings.

"Castle Park is so interesting to me because it's lost to time - so many people's lives were affected when it was razed," said Jeremy Horton.

He plans to use his map for a virtual reality tour of the area.

Although he has been modelling for decades, Mr Horton has found it a challenge to recreate the area.

"The topography is difficult - trying to work out the angles of the streets and heights of the buildings.

"Sometimes I get to the end of a street and find one house is too tall, so I have to go back and redo the lot," he said.

Mr Horton has hundreds of buildings to recreate from photos of the area

Castle Park's history

• The historic heart of old Bristol, which became the main shopping district by the 20th century. It is named after the remains of Bristol Castle demolished in 1656.

• It was hit by thousands of bombs during the bombing of 24 November 1940.

• Significant buildings like the Dutch House, St Peter's Hospital and St Mary Le Port Church were damaged or destroyed.

• Though some buildings and the street plan survived, the council pulled them down, buried the streets and created the park in the 1970s.

Mr Horton's project began when he learned how the area's past had faded from living memory.

"Lots of people haven't got a clue what was there now, there's nothing which survives.

"It was a real meeting point for people, and I want to create that magic of putting on a VR headset and revealing this lost world," he said.

Although he admits the project is a labour of love, it has also given Mr Horton an unusual skill - historical wayfinding.

"I've gotten so used to it from all the photos that if you sent me back in time I could give you directions from the cinema to all sorts of places," he joked.