JULY 2005 – The Old Blacksmith’s Shop in Gretna Green. © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
When you approach Scotland at the west coast, coming from England, Gretna Green is the first town after the Scottish border. While there is nothing so stunning about it today, for many decades it used to be the last hope for countless lovers! That’s because since 1753 the couple needed the approval of their parents to get married. Without a written confirmation they were not allowed to marry – in England! Not so in Scotland. Here, getting married was easy – you just had to be at least 16 years old and bring two witnesses (and if the couple did not have these, there were plenty of folks willing to witness the act.) In fact, it was so easy getting married that soon a real ‘wedding industry’ was serving the needs of the young lovers who were arriving not just from England but also from the rest of Europe.
Gretna Green could preserve this popularity into the present. Even today, several thousand marriages are performed here every year.
My photo shows the Old Blacksmith’s Shop, a marriage room since 1754. At the time of writing, it still operates its historic business.
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | 10-JUL-2005 |
| Location | Gretna Green, Scotland |
| Camera | Canon AE-1 Program |
| Image Source | Fuji Slide Film |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 6452 x 4267 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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