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Questions About Your Photos? We’re Just a Phone Call Away!

In today’s world, it often feels harder than ever to get hold of someone on the phone. At Photographs Forever, we believe in doing things a little differently. Some might call us old-fashioned, but we think being available to speak directly with our customers is invaluable.

Every photo, enquiry, and customer is unique, and we know that you might want some reassurance before committing to send us your precious photos. Whether you need advice on our services or just want to chat about your specific requirements, we’re here for you every step of the way.

As a small, family team we love hearing from our customers and providing help and advice where we can. While we’re often busy restoring your photos or preparing your beautiful photobooks, we encourage you to leave us a message if we can’t answer right away. We promise to call you back as soon as we can.
So, if you have any questions, big or small, or simply need guidance, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone. Your memories are precious, and we’re here to make the process as easy and reassuring as possible.

Robin’s Solution to ‘Lest We Forget’

Our customer Robin has a very striking story behind this photograph he took during a visit to Auschwitz about 10 years  ago and asked us to restore….

 

Photograph Restoration Example

Here’s his story:

“The photograph was taken approximately 10 years in the Auschwitz-Birkenau Camp (just outside of Krakow).

The image is of Kazimierz Budzinski – who entered the camp on 24.04.1942 and was executed on 27.05.1942.

There was a galleried corridor in the camp adorned with images of inmates – his image struck me hard and I stopped for what seemed some time and examined it…examined his expression and his eyes….there was a look of abandonment and fear. I took the photo and kept it. I took this photograph because I wanted to make sure he and his tragic plight would never be forgotten.

Years later I asked Photographs Forever to preserve it and print it for me – which they did brilliantly and it now adorns a space on the wall in my kitchen. Friends et al who visit ask who he is – and by asking – its ‘job done’ because he has not been forgotten.

I subsequently had his number tattooed on my left forearm – exactly as it appeared on his left breast side and it reminds me of him as well as what we are capable, as humans, of doing. People ask about the tattoo and its significance – and again it serves its purpose well – he has not been forgotten.”

Hopefully by adding this to our blog it will be seen by many more people and will continue to reinforce Robin’s dedication to preserving the memory of this man who represents a huge number of people who suffered a similar fate during the Second World War.

Historic and Fascinating Circus Photograph at Wembley 100 Years Ago

British Empire Exhibition - Wembley Stadium1925. Photographs Forever - Photo Restoration

Our customer Clive visited some time ago and brought one of the most fascinating photographs I have seen since I started restoring photographs in 2009. Not only is the quality of the original photograph stunning, the detail contained in the photograph is amazing and you can see some close up details below. This is Clive’s story:

“So here’s a little bit of a back story on the photo that you restored for me and the family. “The Stadium”

The first time I ever set eyes on the photo I was about 6 years old and my father Bruce was arguing with one of his uncles (Neil Cooke) who wanted to sell the photo to which my father was quite annoyed and gave him £100 saying sold (this was about 1980).

As my sister and I grew up the photo hung in the dining room of my parents house and for many years it would get admired from time to time when the room was used. my Grandmother Ouida Monica Cooke pointed out to us that her father (my great grandfather) Leon Douglas Cooke was one of the 5 ringmasters standing in the centre, (he is second in from the left Top hat on and white waistcoat showing) his wife Iona Cooke (Formally Ginnett’s) is sitting rather sternly on the horse to the left of the photo (4th in from the left, Black jacket, right arm on hip).

The photo was taken at  The British Empire Stadium (Now named Wembley Stadium) some time between 22nd June and 15th August 1925.

For the film lovers among you, the opening scene of the film “THE KING’S SPEECH” starring Colin Firth as King George VI giving his first ever public speech opening the British Empire Exhibition.

The original photo had some minor damage and had also started to fade due to light, I knew that I wanted to get this scanned and digitally preserved but also restored as best as possible and I wasn’t prepared to let any happy snaps have a go, It was with this in mind that I began my search, coming across Richard at Photographs forever (from an online search) and after meeting him I was more than happy to let him do his thing and what a wonderful job he did.

Thank you Richard I will be forever grateful for your work.”

Here are some small sections of this amazing photograph

Photographs Forever - Photograph Restoration

Photographs Forever - Photograph Restoration
Photographs Forever - Photograph Restoration

Photographs Forever - Photograph Restoration
Photographs Forever - Photograph Restoration
Photographs Forever - Photograph Restoration

Robertson and Ginnett’s Gigantic Circus was a significant attraction at the British Empire Exhibition held at Wembley Stadium in 1925. This circus was part of the exhibition’s second season, which opened in May 1925 after considerable debate due to the financial challenges faced in the previous year.

The circus featured an impressive spectacle inspired by the famous chariot races held in the Circus Maximus of ancient Rome. Organized by Messrs Ginnett and Robertson, these races involved 400-500 performers in each event, creating a grand and thrilling experience for the audience.

The Ginnett family had a long history in the circus business, with their involvement dating back to the early 1800s. John Frederick Ginnett, a notable circus proprietor, was known for owning a popular circus during his time.

The British Empire Exhibition of 1925, which hosted the Gigantic Circus, was a significant event that aimed to develop imperial trade connections and foster closer political ties between Britain and its territories. Despite the financial challenges faced in the previous year, the exhibition reopened in 1925, partly in an attempt to recoup the government’s investment.

The inclusion of Robertson and Ginnett’s Gigantic Circus at this prestigious event underscores the importance of circus entertainment in early 20th-century British culture and its role in showcasing spectacle and skill at international exhibitions.

The Magic of Photograph Restoration – and a Perfect Gift

As a family, we know just how hard it can be to find unique gift ideas each year. That’s why we want to remind you of the magic of photo restoration and colourisation. Every photo collection holds the power to transport us back to meaningful moments in time…

Behind every photo is someone who chose to capture that moment. We’re here to restore those moments, so you can enjoy them as they were meant to be.

Unfortunately, physical photos deteriorate over time, and because it happens gradually, we often don’t notice until the damage is severe…

Whether it’s a wedding day or a loved one who’s no longer with us, photos bring a flood of emotions. This connection to family, friends, pets, and places, and the chance to relive special moments, is truly priceless.

Photographs Forever Restoration Example
Choosing which photos to restore can be daunting, especially for someone else. Our Gift Vouchers make it simple – available in any value and valid for any of our services. Let your loved one decide which photos to restore, while you give a meaningful gift without the stress.

Gift Voucher

 

The Fascinating History of Nutley Motor Services Premises

During the last five years we have restored many historic photographs which capture the local history of our village. Nigel is the owner of Nutley Motor Services and he is fascinated by the history of the buildings that are now his premises. So he asked us to restore and frame many of these photographs to display in his main reception area.

This is Nigel’s story:

Well Richard, those amazing photos that we got you to restore and that you somehow managed to work your magic on have a very interesting history attached to them.

There were three key extremely wealthy people back in the late 1800’s that basically pretty much owned most of the land and properties in and around the Nutley and Sheffield Park area. Lady Castle Stewart, who owned the Old Lodge and a large chunk of the Ashdown Forest, John Nettlefold (junior), who owned the Chelwood Vachery up on the Forest, his land went right across to Chelwood Gate, and Albert Turner senior and Albert Turner junior who owned Sheffield Saw Mills, are the people where the main pieces of the jigsaw back in the day and what a rich pattern of life was to unfold.

The Turners were felling down huge areas of forest in around Sheffield Park and the surrounding area, preparing the timber and transporting it to London by rail from Sheffield Park, now known as the Bluebell Railway. As time went by, they found that they had to go further afield to find more timber, which added to the cost of transporting it back to Sheffield Park to send on to London.

That’s where these photographs, that you kindly did for Nutley Motor Services reception area display come into play.

Albert Turner junior, being young and enthusiastic, with grand ideas, stumbles across a large pond in Nutley, Perfect he thought for running his newly acquired steam engines for sawing up the timber in and around the Nutley area, so he acquired the land for a small fee, but would have been a reasonable amount of money back then. He purchased which is now the A22, the land from the A22 and out to Nether Lane and down to Fords Green Nutley, the A22 was just a dirt/mud track back then.

He then built the buildings, now know has Nutley Motor Services on the edge of the pond, as the photographs now show in NMS reception. Hence it was from then on known as the Timber Yard.

Over the years he built his managers and some of his senior employees, foresters’ cottages on the surrounding land around the Timber yard.

Then came his biggest hurdle, his grand idea!

Which is one of the main reasons that he purchased the Timber Yard land and was to apply to have a railway line run across the Ashdown Forest to Edenbridge, so as to ship his freshly cut and sawn timber from the rich forests of Nutley to London.

It’s amazing when you think about it, people come and go, buildings and business disappear, or the buildings are altered, like Nutley Motor Services, Mid Sussex Garage of Chelwood Gate, not to mention how many pubs have been turned into dwellings over the years.

If it wasn’t for photographs, this history would be lost for good!

 

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!

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.”

Reigate & Banstead Mayors Have Been Restored!

We were asked by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council to restore 49 faded framed portraits of their Mayors going back many years. This involved removing the existing photographs from their frames, scanning and digitally restoring each one as well as reintroducing all the red and gold elements of many.  Here is just one of the worse ones showing before and after our restoration.

Photographs Forever Before and After

When all 49 were fully restored we printed them all on archive grade paper (so the fading will no longer be an issue going forward) and replaced them in their original frames.  Here they are safely reinstalled and being regularly enjoyed by all visitors the the Town Hall.

Photographs Forever

Removing All The Unwanted Parts…

Our customer is creating a gallery of his grandchildren’s’ sports photos and this photo had lots of unneccesary elements he wanted removed.

He was very pleased with the two 16″ x 12″ canvases he ordered of the final image

 

Re-Enacted Scene From Years Gone By

Photograph Colourisation Example

Initially, Keith asked us to restore the picture of him and his sister in Trafalgar Square when they were children. A few months later he came back to us with a re-enacted picture of the two of them taken recently that they wanted to gift to their mum, and we helped to get it looking as close to the original as possible.