Help & guides
Looking after old family media, explained
Practical, non-preachy guides written by people who do this every week. Everything from opening an inherited box for the first time to museum-standard preservation habits you can use at home.
You've inherited the box
Calm, practical guidance for after a bereavement, a house clearance, or a parent's move into care.
What to do with a parent's photos and papers after they move into care
When a parent moves into care, their whole life often comes home with you in a few carrier bags. Here's how to look after it without panic.
6 min read →
Cleared the house, kept the box: what to do with inherited family photographs
The house is empty. All that's left is a single box of old photos. Here's a gentle, non-preachy way through it.
5 min read →
You don't have to sort it all at once — a calm guide to inherited family archives
There's no deadline. This is a guide for people who feel like they should be 'getting on with' the family photos and want permission to slow down.
5 min read →
Grandma's boxes: where to start when you don't know what's inside
You've been given four boxes and no context. Here's how to open them without doing any damage — and without committing to anything yet.
4 min read →
How to protect family photos and documents after a bereavement, without rushing
A short, low-pressure guide to keeping a family archive safe in the first few months after a death.
7 min read →
Found a box of old family photos while clearing a house — now what?
The house is half-empty, the skip is arriving Thursday, and you've just uncovered a box of photographs you've never seen before.
5 min read →
How to split family photographs between siblings without falling out
One box, three siblings, and nobody wants to be the one who says it out loud. Digitising first turns a division problem into a sharing one.
5 min read →
What to keep and what to let go: deciding without regret
You are allowed to not keep everything. A short framework for deciding what earns space in the archive and what genuinely doesn't.
5 min read →
Should you DIY it?
Honest, plain-English answers to the questions everyone asks before spending money on old media.
VHS to digital: DIY vs professional — an honest comparison
You can absolutely digitise a VHS tape at home for about £30. Here's what that £30 actually gets you compared to a professional job.
7 min read →
How much does it cost to digitise old family photos in the UK?
Prices vary a lot. Here's what different UK services actually charge in 2025, and what you're paying for at each price point.
6 min read →
Can you still get VHS tapes played? Here's what's actually happening to old tape
VHS players are disappearing from high streets, and the tapes themselves are ageing. Here's the state of play in 2026.
5 min read →
35mm slides in the loft: are they still worth saving?
Kodak slides from the '60s and '70s are still the best-quality family images most people own. Here's why — and what to do with them.
5 min read →
What actually happens to a VHS tape's picture quality over time
A short, non-technical explanation of why your VHS wedding video looks worse now than you remember.
7 min read →
Cine film, slides, cassettes: a plain-English guide to what you might find in an old box
You've opened a box of family media and you're not sure what half of it is. This is a quick illustrated glossary.
6 min read →
JPEG or TIFF? Choosing the right file format for scanned photographs
One is universally readable, the other is what archives use. Here's the honest difference and when it's worth paying for both.
5 min read →
How long do digital files actually last? Backups explained simply
Digitising is not the finish line. A short, non-technical explanation of the 3-2-1 rule and why one hard drive is not a backup.
5 min read →
Scanning photos with your phone vs a flatbed: what you actually lose
Phone scanning apps are genuinely good now. They're also not the same thing — here's exactly where the difference shows up.
5 min read →
Preservation & conservation
What museums actually do — and how a few small changes can add decades to the life of your originals.
Why acid-free sleeves matter more than people think
Sleeves aren't just a nice extra. The wrong paper next to a photograph can eat it, slowly, from behind.
5 min read →
How archivists actually store family photographs (and how you can too)
The three things museum conservators care about — and how to copy them at home without spending a fortune.
5 min read →
The mistakes that damage old photographs faster than time does
Old photographs are surprisingly resilient. What kills them, almost always, is well-meaning handling.
5 min read →
Should you ever throw away 'duplicate' family photos? An archivist's view
It feels sensible to bin the second copy. But duplicates aren't as duplicate as they look.
6 min read →
What museums do differently when handling old paper and photographs
You don't need a museum's budget to use museum habits. Here are the small things conservators do that make a big difference.
5 min read →
Storing photographs in a damp British house: what actually works
Most UK homes sit above the humidity that photographs prefer. You don't need a climate-controlled room — you need to avoid four specific places.
5 min read →
Looking after 8mm and Super 8 cine film before it's digitised
Cine film has a specific failure mode with a vinegar smell. Recognising it early is the difference between a transfer and a loss.
5 min read →
Why the framed photos on your wall are fading faster than the ones in the box
The pictures you display are the ones you're losing. A short guide to light damage and how to keep the wall without the cost.
4 min read →
Family history & research
From a single box of documents to a properly researched family story, without committing to a full tree.
How to start researching your family history from a single box of documents
A box of family papers is one of the best possible starting points. Here's how to turn it into a research project without getting overwhelmed.
6 min read →
What can a photograph actually tell a genealogist?
A single old photograph often contains more genealogical evidence than a whole page of a census. Here's how to read one.
5 min read →
Common family stories that turn out to be (partly) true
The famous family stories — the Romany ancestor, the black-sheep uncle, the great-great-grandfather at the Somme — are usually 60% true, 40% embroidered, and always worth checking.
7 min read →
How to research one specific family mystery without committing to a full family tree
You don't have to become a family historian to answer one question. Here's the focused-research approach.
5 min read →
How to date an undated photograph from clothing, cars and card stock
Almost every photograph carries a date somewhere, just not written down. Here's what professionals read to narrow a picture to within a decade.
6 min read →
Recording the stories before they're lost: interviewing older relatives
The most valuable thing in the archive isn't in the box — it's in someone's head. A practical guide to getting it recorded.
6 min read →
Gifting & seasonal
For the parent who has everything, and the Christmas gift that isn't a thing.
The best gift for a parent who has everything: their own history, restored
For the parent who says 'don't buy me anything', the answer is usually something they already own.
4 min read →
A Christmas gift that isn't a thing: digitising a lifetime of family photos
For the family that has agreed to skip Christmas presents, this is the one that everyone still says yes to.
4 min read →
A golden anniversary gift: their wedding album, restored and shareable
Fifty years on, the album is usually stuck-down, faded and fragile. Bringing it back is the one gift that reliably lands.
4 min read →
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Get an instant quoteAll articles: What to do with a parent's photos and papers after they move into care, Cleared the house, kept the box: what to do with inherited family photographs, You don't have to sort it all at once — a calm guide to inherited family archives, Grandma's boxes: where to start when you don't know what's inside, How to protect family photos and documents after a bereavement, without rushing, Found a box of old family photos while clearing a house — now what?, VHS to digital: DIY vs professional — an honest comparison, How much does it cost to digitise old family photos in the UK?, Can you still get VHS tapes played? Here's what's actually happening to old tape, 35mm slides in the loft: are they still worth saving?, What actually happens to a VHS tape's picture quality over time, Cine film, slides, cassettes: a plain-English guide to what you might find in an old box, Why acid-free sleeves matter more than people think, How archivists actually store family photographs (and how you can too), The mistakes that damage old photographs faster than time does, Should you ever throw away 'duplicate' family photos? An archivist's view, What museums do differently when handling old paper and photographs, How to start researching your family history from a single box of documents, What can a photograph actually tell a genealogist?, Common family stories that turn out to be (partly) true, How to research one specific family mystery without committing to a full family tree, The best gift for a parent who has everything: their own history, restored, A Christmas gift that isn't a thing: digitising a lifetime of family photos, How to split family photographs between siblings without falling out, What to keep and what to let go: deciding without regret, JPEG or TIFF? Choosing the right file format for scanned photographs, How long do digital files actually last? Backups explained simply, Scanning photos with your phone vs a flatbed: what you actually lose, Storing photographs in a damp British house: what actually works, Looking after 8mm and Super 8 cine film before it's digitised, Why the framed photos on your wall are fading faster than the ones in the box, How to date an undated photograph from clothing, cars and card stock, Recording the stories before they're lost: interviewing older relatives, A golden anniversary gift: their wedding album, restored and shareable