Couple reunited with wedding photos destroyed in Californian wildfires

A couple who thought they had lost their wedding photos forever have managed to find and create copies after the negatives were discovered in an archive.

Chris and Lindy Date married in the Cambridgeshire village of Landbeach in July 1963, having met at the University of Cambridge.

They later moved to the USA and last year their home was tragically destroyed by the wildfires that swept through California.

Included among the possessions that were destroyed was the Dates' wedding album.

"The photos were taken by Lettice Ramsey and her company, Ramsey and Muspratt, was quite famous in Cambridge at the time, taking portrait pictures of many of the city’s best-known names," said Mr Date.

"I did some online research and found that Ramsey and Muspratt had donated their negatives to the Cambridgeshire collection in the 1980s.

"I emailed the council's Libraries service more in hope than expectation to ask whether they still had the negatives. 

"They responded quickly to say they had photos which they believed were ours and sent three for me to check. I was so pleased and amazed to see them."

Mr Date has not told his wife he has been able to restore the photos yet, and is hoping to surprise her with them.

Councillor Steve Criswell, chair of the communities and partnerships committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: "I would like to say a big well done to the team involved in finding these photos.

"We have a dedicated libraries and local studies team who are committed to helping the public, no matter how seemingly difficult their queries might be."