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A Picture Brought Back to Life: The Story of PC Austwick

The Murder of PC Austwick (1855-1861)

 

 It’s said that every picture does tell a story.  But for me, the story was minus the picture until I found the excellent team at Photographs Forever.

It was while researching facts about two WW1 soldiers from my village of Lumby, in North Yorkshire that I came across the story of a local policeman who was shot and murdered by a miner.

PC Alfred Austwick was born in Lumby in 1855.  Our village is a place invariably described as a “slumbering hamlet” of about forty houses.  Little has changed since Austwick’s days other than the “thatched cotts” have long gone only to be replaced by barn conversions and new builds but the village still retains its essential charm and peaceful location.  Laurel Farm, where PC Austwick’s father and brother worked, no longer deals in livestock as it once did, but is still a functioning arable farm.

The British Newspaper Archive is a fascinated treasure of facts and I discovered that the murder, which took place about 30 miles away, in Dodworth, near Barnsley, became a national scandal as the man responsible, James Murphy, an itinerant miner with a previous criminal record for burglary and poaching had, after the shooting in the grounds of the Traveller’s Inn, gone on the run for several weeks.  The written style of language is ornate, compared with today, beautifully descriptive and in and amongst the facts I found that several reporters were still intent, even then, on seeking out the salacious gossip!

Over the last few months, I have collated and edited features and articles to build an elaborate picture of what happened.  I was fascinated by how entrenched Christianity was in every area of the lives of people at that time, how fair a trial Murphy received, how there was much compassion for his family and how prison authorities took great care of him.  His relatives were afforded expenses to visit him, he was given the best meat and a chaplain visited him daily.  The death sentence hanged over him but all attempts were made to overturn it.

Beyond the press research I also spent several days in the village of Dodworth and their library – and have been hugely enabled by a retired historian/miner, Steven Wyatt who took time out of his busy life to show me landmarks, to help me understand the area and to help me appreciate what life must have been like then.

Through Steve I was introduced to the owner of the Traveller’s Inn, Jane, who showed me a framed collation of a photocopied newspaper report, Austwick’s whistle and most exciting of all a faded, cut and creased original photo of PC Alfred Austwick, in uniform.

I felt that if I could get the photo restored it would be a fitting image to feature on the cover of the book.  After two photographic experts claimed it wasn’t possible to repair and restore I discovered the excellent team at Photographs Forever – Richard, Amy and Luca.  Not only did they give me the confidence to send it securely to them, but they were at pains to explain how carefully they would manage it.  This was a precious photograph, about 150 years old and it didn’t belong to me.  The team’s customer care is as equal in excellence as the brilliant work they do.  All through the process I was kept informed from the safe arrival of the photograph to the process that they would undertake, to the secure return.

The result was beyond anything that I could have expected.  My faded, armless policeman had been brought back to life – so vividly his eyes seem to engage with mine.

It has been a privilege to remember a man who lost his life so tragically, who left several children without a father and a stricken wife who, at the time of the funeral, was one month pregnant with their sixth child.

PC Austwick’s body was returned to our parish for burial very close to the church gates, and I think of the many hundreds of times I have walked past his grave, never knowing of the story within.

Now, not only can I pay my respects at his graveside, but thanks to the team at Photographs Forever,  I can picture the man who did much to help and protect the lives of villagers in Victorian Britain.

The team helped me tell his story and I remain hugely grateful.

Hilary Robinson’s book The Murder of PC Austwick is available to purchase HERE

Photographs Forever – Truly a Family Business

It has occurred to us you might not know that we are a family team at Photographs Forever. So, we thought we would take a moment to re-introduce ourselves and remind you of the true value of a family business.

I began Photographs Forever in 2009 and, since 2021, I have been lucky enough to have my daughter Amy working alongside me.

Amy and Richard – Don’t panic, this photo of us is from 1999!

As a father and daughter team we truly span the generations, offering a great wealth of experience and a first-hand understanding of just how important our photos are.  Being a small team allows us to act with empathy and common sense at all times – your photos are unique to you and we understand that this means our process needs to be unique as well.

Building relationships and trust with our customers is at the heart of what we do. We have developed so many amazing connections over the years and we love hearing all of the wonderful stories behind your photos – we have been lucky enough to restore some amazing historical images!

As a family business, we know personally just how essential photos are in keeping us connected to our past, for now and generations to come, and we are always here to help or offer advice whenever you need it.

Today, Amy’s partner Luca works alongside us too, heading up our in-house design projects and ensuring we continue to thrive together as a family business.

All you need to do is take the time to sort out those special photographs, and you can leave the rest to us!

Jayne Shrimpton – ‘Photo Detective’ Since the 1980s

Have you ever wanted to know the date when a particular photograph of your ancestors was taken?
Jayne Shrimpton is the leading expert to help you.

Jayne Shrimpton is a respected fashion historian and author, known for her expertise in historic and vintage fashion. With a keen eye for detail and deep knowledge, Jayne has brought the past to life through her work, analyzing photographs, paintings, and garments to tell the stories behind the clothing of different eras. Her engaging articles and talks reveal how fashion trends reflect broader social and cultural shifts. Jayne’s work captivates history enthusiasts by showing how what we wear connects with who we are and where we come from. Her passion makes history feel relevant and alive, one stitch at a time.

Ancestry.com – The Perfect Place to Create Your Family History

Ancestry.com is a leading platform for exploring family history and genealogy, providing a variety of benefits that make it a top choice for individuals wanting to discover their roots.

You can currently have a 14 day free trial so you can see how useful it is for yourself.  CLICK HERE

Here are the 15 most compelling reasons for using Ancestry.com:

1. Extensive Historical Records

Ancestry.com boasts billions of records, including birth, marriage, death, census, immigration, military, and more.

The platform provides access to records from numerous countries, making it easier to trace international family connections.

2. User-Friendly Interface

The website is easy to navigate, making it simple for users, even beginners, to start building their family trees and accessing historical data.

Step-by-step hints and suggestions help guide users in finding relevant information without feeling overwhelmed.

3. DNA Testing Services

DNA provides users with an ethnicity breakdown, offering insights into their genetic origins and heritage.

The service connects users with potential relatives based on shared DNA, helping to uncover extended family members and new branches of the family tree.

4. Family Tree Building Tools

The platform offers tools to create detailed family trees that can include photos, stories, and historical records.

Users can collaborate with family members to build and expand their family tree together.

5. Record Hints and Smart Matches

Ancestry.com suggests potential matches and relevant records for individuals in your family tree, simplifying the research process.

This feature helps users quickly discover new information and verify their research with confidence.

6. Educational Resources and Guidance

Ancestry.com offers tutorials, articles, and videos to help users become more proficient in genealogical research.

Users can join forums and groups to get advice and share discoveries with others interested in genealogy.

7. Integration with Historical Context

The platform provides background information on historical events and trends relevant to specific time periods, giving users a richer understanding of their ancestors’ lives.

Maps, old photographs, and newspaper clippings enhance the storytelling aspect of family history.

8. Mobile App Access

The Ancestry mobile app allows users to continue their research from anywhere, making it convenient to access records and update family trees.

Users can scan and upload family photos directly from their smartphones, preserving them digitally.

9. Preservation of Family Heritage

Ancestry.com allows users to compile and preserve their family stories, photos, and documents in one secure place for future generations.

Family trees can be shared with loved ones, ensuring that the collected history is passed down and enjoyed by the entire family.

10. Comprehensive Subscription Plans

Ancestry.com offers various subscription levels, allowing users to choose plans that fit their research needs and budget.

Higher-tier plans provide more extensive access to global records and databases.

11. Access to Original Documents

Users can view original documents and historical images, making the research experience more authentic and trustworthy.

Seeing the actual records can help verify details and provide deeper insights into family history.

12. Support for Adopted Individuals

Ancestry.com can be particularly helpful for those trying to find biological family members through DNA testing and shared matches.

The platform can aid in providing information that leads to emotional closure or a deeper understanding of personal heritage.

13. Continuous Updates and Expansions

Ancestry.com frequently updates its databases and adds new records, ensuring that users have access to the most comprehensive data possible.

The platform invests in improving its tools and features to enhance user experience and research capabilities.

14. Family Stories and Memoirs

Users can add stories and anecdotes about their relatives, keeping memories alive and connecting generations.

Through these stories, users can learn about family traditions, achievements, and challenges.

15. Trust and Reliability

Ancestry.com is one of the most reputable and widely used genealogy sites, trusted by millions of users for its thoroughness and reliability.

The platform places importance on user privacy and data security, giving users confidence in how their information is handled.

In summary, Ancestry.com provides a comprehensive and engaging way to explore and document family history. Whether for casual interest or deep research, it offers tools and resources that make genealogy accessible and fulfilling.

Featured on Sarah Beeny’s Life In The Country

In Series 3 Episode 5 Sarah Beeny discovers many odd antiques and family heirlooms that have been passed down through generations and decides that the best way to use these findings in their new home is to transform their downstairs cloakroom into a Victorian cupboard of curiosities. That’s where Photographs Forever came in and we were asked to restore some of the deteriorating precious family photographs.

Here’s one as we received it, together with the restored version and below as it appeared actually in situ in the cloakroom.

 

New Life in the Country is a Channel 4 documentary series starring property expert and TV presenter Sarah Beeny and her family. The show follows Beeny, her husband Graham Swift, and their four sons as they embark on an ambitious project to build a sustainable new home and start a new chapter in the Somerset countryside.

The series documents the Beeny family’s move from London to rural Somerset, where they take on the challenge of building a modern, eco-friendly home on 220 acres of farmland. It captures the highs and lows of creating a new life in the countryside, from construction challenges to the family’s adaptation to a different lifestyle.

The show is a mix of property development, family life, and lifestyle change. It highlights themes of sustainability, self-sufficiency, and the rewards and difficulties of significant life changes.

Throughout the episodes, viewers see various stages of the home’s construction, interior design decisions, and landscaping projects. The show also delves into the family’s day-to-day life, interactions with the local community, and adjustments to country living.

The series has been well-received for its genuine depiction of family life and the beauty of the English countryside. Viewers appreciate Sarah Beeny’s relatable approach and openness about the challenges they face.

Sarah Beeny and Graham Swift’s project reflects their long-held dream of raising their children closer to nature and living a more grounded lifestyle. The documentary provides insights into the balancing act between professional ambition and family priorities.

Overall, New Life in the Country offers an engaging mix of home-building inspiration, personal storytelling, and picturesque rural life that appeals to fans of property shows and lifestyle documentaries.

 

 

Photographs Forever – Remembrance Day Interview on BBC Morning Live

 

BBC Morning Live asked Photographs Forever to appear in their Remembrance Day broadcast.

CLICK HERE to see our founder Richard discussing the importance of restoring your photographs. Watch to see our customer Nigel’s reaction to seeing his grandfather’s photo in full colour for the first time.

Here are some more good reasons to get those precious photographs restored:

Preserve Irreplaceable Memories: Old photographs often hold priceless memories of loved ones and significant moments. Restoring them ensures these special memories are kept alive and passed down through generations.

Protect Against Further Damage: Time can be harsh on photographs, causing fading, tears, and discoloration. Restoring them now helps prevent further deterioration and protects them for the future.

Reconnect with Your Family’s Story: Restored photos help keep family history vivid and relatable. They bring stories to life and make it easier for younger generations to connect with their heritage.

Celebrate and Share Special Moments: Bringing photos back to their original glory lets you display them proudly in your home or create gifts that can be shared with family and friends.

Create Lasting Legacies: Restoring and identifying people in your photos ensures that stories and names don’t get lost over time. It’s a beautiful way to honor the past and keep loved ones’ legacies alive.

Enhance Visual Quality: Restoration can bring out details that were previously hard to see, adding clarity and depth to treasured images and allowing you to appreciate them in their full beauty.

Digital Safeguards: Restored photos can be digitized, making it easier to store, share, and back them up so they’re safe from accidents or damage to physical prints.

 

Identify The Date Your Photograph Was Taken

We quite often are asked to date photographs that we receive.

This is a specialist skill and the person to talk to is Jayne Shrimpton.

Jayne Shrimpton offers a professional service dating and interpreting photographs and artworks for family historians; local history and genealogy groups; historical and art institutions and TV production companies. Jayne’s formal visual training and experience of working across all artistic and photographic media, combined with her extensive fashion history knowledge, has given her a unique skillset, ideal for successfully interpreting historical images. After decades of advising family and local historians and academic researchers, she understands the importance of time and place and can explain each photograph, painting, drawing and silhouette, revealing its historical context.

For more information click here to go to Jayne Shrimpton’s website.

 

Norman Wisdom Memorabilia Exhibit

We recently restored several images of Norman Wisdom for his son Nick. These were to form part of an exhibition that Nick is mounting.

We restored these two photographs so they could be printed the appropriate size for the framed exhibit of Norman’s suit dating back to 1952.

Nick says:

“As the Norman Wisdom Exhibition reaches its capacity of circa eighty frames, it’s fair to say that the best has been saved to last. A five foot high frame (below) features Norman’s long tailed suit first worn in the theatre in 1952. As ever, thanks must go to the experts who I have come to rely on. Gerald Fleuss, master calligrapher and Richard Haines of Photographs Forever who can resurrect and adapt any form of photography to great effect.”

A Heartwarming 60th Wedding Anniversary Story in Photographs

This photograph was taken on 3rd of February 1962, when Colin and Jan were just 21 and 19 years old. As soon as we saw the photo we were instantly struck by how heart-warming it was, their faces a perfect picture of happiness!

Since 1962 Colin and Jan went on to have four children and four grand-children, and it was their grand-daughter Emily who contacted us in January as she hoped to give her grandparents a restored version of their precious photograph for their 60th wedding anniversary.

Jan says  “We got married at the church that was once part of Hanworth Palace owned by Henry VIII. I walked through the door on the arm of my dad and felt part of the history of it all. Hiring the Daimler on the day of our wedding was a luxury I had not known before. The car arrived to take us the short distance to the reception. It was such a happy day I don’t think we noticed the cold February weather.”

Emily tells us that her great-grandfather (Jan’s dad) was the gardener at Hanworth Palace, and when her granddad Colin first visited her Nan, who lived in the grounds, he mistakenly thought he had struck gold, believing Jan’s family owned the estate!

On 3rd February 2022, Emily presented her grandparents with the photograph that we had restored and framed and kindly sent us these photographs of their reaction…

Photographs Forever and Boom Radio

Photographs Forever has recently had some mentions on Boom Radio. Boom is a new radio station which I found a couple of months ago and am really enjoying. There are many presenters we know from other radio stations like Bob Harris and David Hamilton and the music played is just the music that we like (if you were around in the sixties, seventies and eighties).
Nothing like a bit of nostalgia!

Boom represents the spirit of a generation. A UK radio station targeting baby boomers – now aged in their late 50s, 60s and 70s. – who still feel young and seize every opportunity life offers.The presenters they grew up with play the songs with which they share a deep emotional connection.  Radio enjoys a special place in people’s lives – and Boomers love it, with 93% of us tuning in. I really recommend it so take a listen.


Here are a few of the presenters that have mentioned Photographs Forever with the sound clips

DAVID LLOYD

 

After almost retiring, Boom Radio was the dream of David Lloyd. He began in commercial radio in Nottingham as a teenager, fulfilling a dream he’d nurtured since appearing on BBC local radio reading a poem aged 6. He rose through the ranks to manage radio stations in Leicester, Lincoln, Leeds, Birmingham and LBC and Virgin in London – departing only for a brief sojourn in media regulation  – and he’s passionate about the project.


NICKY HORNE

 

 

For a generation, his was the daring voice on Capital Radio, as the host of ‘Your Mother Wouldn’t Like it’. Nicky was also heard on Virgin and the BBC.  Now, surrounded by his own record collection, he broadcasts daily from his lair 4-6 weekdays, playing a wide selection of music, including some treasured album tracks.


‘TWIGGY’ ROGER DAY

Radio has been Roger Day’s life. ‘Your Thinner Record Spinner’ was born in Cheltenham, and began his career in offshore pirate radio, firstly on Swinging Radio England before transferring to Caroline. As the pirate stations were banned, he spent a short stint at Radio Luxembourg before famously compering a Beach Boys Tour – before a dramatic spell at Radio Northsea International. Back on land, he was the first presenter as Piccadilly Radio launched in Manchester and, more recently he’s been heard regularly on BBC local radio. At Boom, he says he’s come home – and he’s having the most fun he’s had since the 70s.


Boom Radio resonates with the older generation for several reasons, offering a unique listening experience that appeals to their tastes and values. Here’s why it’s so beloved:

Nostalgic Music Playlist

Golden Oldies: Boom Radio specializes in playing songs from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s—eras that hold special significance for older listeners who grew up during those times.

Timeless Classics: The station’s playlist is filled with hits that evoke fond memories, creating an emotional connection with its audience.

Familiar and Trusted Presenters

Experienced Hosts: Boom Radio features presenters who have been in the radio industry for decades, many of whom are well-known to the older generation. This familiarity creates a sense of comfort and trust.

Personal Stories and Warmth: The presenters often share personal anecdotes and stories from their own experiences, fostering a sense of shared history with their listeners.

A Relaxed, Unhurried Pace

Authentic Radio Experience: Unlike fast-paced, high-energy stations, Boom Radio provides a relaxed and thoughtful approach that matches the lifestyle of older listeners.

Engaging Conversations: The station takes time to engage in more meaningful conversations, rather than quick soundbites, which appeals to those who enjoy thoughtful, relatable content.

Tailored Content

Relevant Themes: The programming often features content relevant to older audiences, such as reminiscing about historical moments, discussing cultural shifts, or celebrating legendary musicians and events.

Interactive Segments: Boom Radio invites listener interaction through song requests, dedications, and calls, fostering a community feel.

An Escape from Modern Trends

Avoids Overly Commercialized Content: Boom Radio steers clear of the highly commercial, chart-focused music prevalent on other stations, offering a break from modern trends that may not resonate with older tastes.

Authentic and Personal: Listeners appreciate the station’s genuine, non-corporate feel, making it seem more personal and aligned with their values.

Inclusive and Community-Oriented

Belonging and Connection: The station’s programming is designed to make listeners feel part of a community, sharing in memories and enjoying a collective nostalgia.

Listener-Centric Approach: Boom Radio’s focus on its audience’s preferences creates a bond that makes listeners feel understood and appreciated.

Easy Access and User-Friendly

Simple to Tune In: Boom Radio is available on digital platforms, making it accessible to older listeners who may not have access to traditional FM radio.

Multi-Platform Availability: Whether on DAB, smart speakers, or online, Boom Radio ensures its audience can listen in the way that suits them best.

Uplifting and Familiar Content

Positive Vibes: The station maintains a cheerful and uplifting atmosphere that brings joy and energy to its listeners’ days.

Memory-Triggering Playlists: The songs often trigger memories of life’s milestones, family events, and the general past, adding a warm and emotional layer to the listening experience.

In essence, Boom Radio’s appeal lies in its ability to create a bridge to the past, offering music and content that reconnects listeners with the best times of their lives. Its authentic, listener-focused approach makes it a comforting, enjoyable, and emotionally enriching experience for the older generation.