A man has blown people away with the entire village he built in his backyard, working on the project for over 25 years and creating a total of 24 buildings.

Terry Wilson, 70, is responsible for the project, which has attracted a huge amount of attention from around the world since he started sharing photos online. Wilson is from Meadowvale Village in Ontario, Canada, and was part of a heritage association which aimed to protect the area's unique old-time aesthetic.

He explained to Newsweek that the unique project began when developers moved into the area in the '90s and started building new homes. During this time, Wilson's late mother Rosemary looked after a perennial garden which was beloved by the local community, something the president of the development company knew about and actually used as a selling point of the area.

However, once developers dug a trench for excavation on the hill behind Wilson's property, where he lived with his mother at the time, torrential rain caused much of the garden to be swept away.

Wilson and the president of the development company had built a relationship and money was offered to rectify the issue. Later on, when Wilson discovered that the developer was burning any wood that wasn't "absolutely perfect," he asked if he could use it for a new project, a replica village in his backyard which years later has become a beloved local amenity and attracts visitors from around the world.

"Why don't we build a little village that reflects the history?" Wilson told Newsweek of the plan's inception. "We'll build it right in our yard where we can protect it from all time."

Although many might think this project is a big money-maker, Wilson doesn't charge people to come visit, and says all are welcome to explore the village.

In recent years, decades into the development of this little village, Wilson's sister encouraged him to share photos of the village on Facebook, which he eventually did and got huge traction.

Wilson didn't expect it to blow up as much as it did and within a short amount of time, he was contacted by a publisher in New York who wanted him to write a book about it. He did, calling it Rosemary's Village in honor of his late mother who worked alongside him on the project.

Readers fell in love with Rosemary, Wilson said, which was "so good for my heart" after her passing. He revealed: "To find out all of these people loved her so much, it really eased my pain."

Since posting about the village online, Wilson has received visitors from five continents. Once, he hosted an open house where he was giving tours of 50 people at a time and had a queue of visitors all the way down the street.

Recently, he shared a post in the Facebook group Repurpose + Upcycle = Inspiration, which received thousands of likes and comments. "Love this! Now I want a village in my backyard," said Robin Cummings.

Catherine Scourtis wrote: "What a neat thing to have as a legacy and memory! I can totally see this decorated and open for Halloween and Christmas."

Sharon McClarrie commented: "As a child I loved visiting small villages like this. Well done."

Ada Eizabeth shared: "Now that, my friend, is a heritage... something instilled in the heart and built by hand, beautiful!"

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