In the 1920s, airships represented the future of carbon-neutral air travel. Bedford was being developed by the UK Government as a global hub for a bold new era of aviation.

But in 1930, tragedy struck. The R.101 airship crashed on its maiden voyage from Bedford to Karachi, killing 48 people and and raising questions about Imperial greed that ended the Bedford airship programme virtually overnight. Bedford’s role in global aviation history was silenced.

Now, we’re reawakening that story.

We now invite audiences to explore Bedford’s airship and aviation story through a series of immersive experiences that use Extended Reality (XR) technologies to gather artefacts, archives and stories into one location & reimagine Bedford’s global flight ambitions.

Audiences will be able to:
– Explore a multi-room immersive airship gallery
– Step back in time with 360° VR films
– Interact with AR heritage trails
– Access new educational STEAM resources

All experiences are being co-designed with young people, STEAM students, aviation engineers, and digital artists—celebrating the past while inspiring future careers in innovation, creativity and engineering.

Prototype experiences will tour museums, schools, and pop-up events across Bedford and beyond from Spring–Summer 2026.

This project is a collaboration between BCA and content creation company Hyperactive Developments Ltd alongside our heritage and education partners: Airship Heritage Trust, The Higgins Bedford, The Shuttleworth Collection, RAF Museum (Hendon), Bedford College, the University of Hertfordshire and the Royal College of Art.

The project is supported through funding from Arts Council England, Royal Academy of Engineering (Ingenious programme), The Connolly Foundation, The Harpur Trust and private donors.