Old Photos

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	Old Photos of the Forest of Dean

FAQ
So how long has this site been up ?	The site was started in 1998. Like many other sites, since then it has expanded and been re-designed.
Hey, I just looked at a photo and the one of the names below the photo is incorrect. Why is that?.	Most of these photos are very old, therefore we occasionally make a mistake with the names. However, if you see mistake you can email us at and the mistake will be corrected.
Where do these photos come from ?	Some are loaned to us by both local people and "vurriners", others are sent in by email or on a CD.
Do you accept advertising ?	Yes, to help cover the running costs
Is there copyright on any of these photos ?.	All content is published with the permission of the owners of the original material. However, if anyone thinks that a copyright is being infringed, please contact us and we will remove the material if appropriate.
How do you get the names of the people?.	People send in names by clicking the link at the bottom of each page. People are only too pleased to be able to help.
Who else helps ?	Malcolm Norris carries out research and has also transcribed many of the St James Parish Magazines. Malc also answers some of the queries in the Guest Book. Dave Powell has sought out many of the photos for the site.
How do you scan the photos ?.	They are scanned at 300dpi as TIFF files - but other formats are fine too.
How do you put photos on the Web?	Photos are saved as .jpg files with a picture width of 700 pixels. Photos of groups of people are saved with a picture width of 950 pixels (bigger to enable faces to be identified). We aim for a file size of about 60K and up to 150K for a large group of people. The large school groups are an exception, these are saved as 250K file sizes - so they take longer to download and really eat into our server space
I have some old family photos which I would like restored.	This can be a time-consuming process - but we can provide a quote if you wish.
Can I send you a scan myself?	Yes you can email them as attachments or send them on a CD Scan if possible at 300 DPI, - jpg (jpeg) format is fine.
What are the main problems with scans people nave done themselves?	1 - poor scanner 2 - scanned at too low a resolution (less than 300 DPI) 3 - (very large photos) - no overlap on the scans, so people are missed!) 4 - scan done at "grayscale" - many old pics develop colour tints as they age - so much better results can be obtained by scanning in colour - however this does lead to massive file sizes. 5 - If sending by email, if it is available, be sure to check or select 'Keep to the original size'. Otherwise the quality of the pic will be degraded by the software before the email is sent. Having said all that - any scan is better than no scan at all.
Is there any material you have which is not yet published?.	Yes there are photos and other material which we have not yet posted.
Who is the little fellow smoking the pipe at the bottom of some of the pages?	He is part of the "Forest Miner" brass which is on a tomb inside Newland church. In his mouth he has a Nellie (candle holder).
What do the 2 sheep and the child at the top of some of the pages signify ?	Sheep have long roamed free in the Forest of Dean. This photo dates from a time when the custom was not surrounded by controversy - as it is today. It shows 4 year old Charles James with 2 of his father's sheep around 1936. The photo was supplied by Charles's brother Brian.
Finally if you have old family photos a few words of advice :	Ensure that you write the names of people and/or the locations on the back of the photo (Pencil is best). I see so many beautiful old photographs of people from years gone by which are now of little historical value because the names of the people in the photo have been forgotten over the generations. So go see granny, she will be only too pleased to help.