About "Times Past"

The North Wales Photo Archive

North Wales photography - the early years

From the earliest days of photography enthusiasts were keen to use the new medium to capture images of town and country scenes. The likes of Tuck, Valentine, Bellamy and our own Scotcher (of Holywell) reproduced many of their photographs in various series of postcards covering much of the country. Many of these were of very high quality indeed, the original work being produced on large glass plate negatives.

Few of the original plates survive but very many of the postcards have ended up in attics, drawers or private collections all over the world.

The postcards may be considered to be a last remaining link to this photographic work of long ago and as such they are an important historical resource. However the resource is disappearing fast as material is lost or discarded.

The North Wales Photo Archive website

The North Wales Photo Archive website was conceived with the idea of collecting as much of this material as remains and displaying it in a readily accessible form for all to use. The non-profit, non-funded and at present unsponsored private site is now up and running at internet address:
http://members.tripod.co.uk/WebFlint/timepast/home.html

Note that there is no 'www' in the address. The address is case-sensitive so if you type in 'webflint' in stead of 'WebFlint' the address will not work.

Preparing and displaying the work

The original material is digitally re-photographed to produce reasonably good quality 'files' which print well up to A4 size. However these are too large (electronically) for web use as they take far too long to 'download' using normal domestic computer equipment and connections. Consequently the files are processed using Corel Photo Paint software. This clears up any blemishes in the original work and presents the material as compressed medium-resolution files which can be readily accessed on a website, though some of the detail in the original is lost. Images are displayed ten at a time in a number of galleries on the site.
Initially there are around 60 medium-resolution photographs displayed with several more waiting to be processed and incorporated. It is intended to place more medium/high-resolution material on the site as technology moves forward.

The future of the site

This is a voluntary and sincere attempt to preserve important photographic work relating to North Wales for present and future generations not only of historical societies, schools and researchers but for all members of our community. Clearly there is an urgent need for more postcard material to re-photograph for use on the site.
Any offers of cards - either to borrow, or to re-photograph in your own home - would be most gratefully received by the website owner, Frank Armstrong, Charmis, Gorsedd, Holywell - CH8 8QZ. Telephone 01352 711686 or email frank_gw3cnm@hotmail.com. Your help and contribution will be acknowledged on the website.

Please help to create this important resource for North Wales!