Many beautiful classic WordPress themes (like Hamilton, Twenty Seventeen, etc.) have not been updated in years. That does not mean they are bad — it just means they miss modern speed, security, and design improvements.
A beginner-friendly guide with real example
Why update an old theme?
- WordPress now needs PHP 8.2+ – old code can show errors
- Images load slowly without
loading="lazy" - Phones are the #1 way people visit websites → must be perfectly responsive
- Google loves fast sites (Core Web Vitals)
- Security headers and modern caching (Brotli) are expected in 2025
- Readers prefer wider, easier-to-read text (790 px instead of 620 px)
The Golden Rule: Never edit the original theme!
Use a child theme. If the parent theme gets an update later, all your work stays safe.
Child theme = small folder that says “use the original theme, but change these few things”.
What we did with the Hamilton theme (real example)
We kept the classic editor look everyone loves, but added:
- Works perfectly on WordPress 6.7+ and PHP 8.3
- Images lazy-load automatically + support modern AVIF/WebP formats
- Comments completely turned off (cleaner & faster)
- Wider readable area (790 px)
- Beautiful masculine Indian colour palette (Terracotta & Sandalwood)
- All JavaScript rewritten without jQuery (faster)
- Security headers + modern caching (works great with Caddy server)
- Extra portfolio and resume page templates
How AI / ChatGPT helped (and how you can do the same)
- Upload the theme files → ask the AI to read every file
- Give a clear wish list (exactly like the one you just read)
- AI returns ready-to-use child-theme code – you only copy-paste
- Ask for explanations if something is unclear
- Let AI write the documentation (like this article!)
In our case it took less than one hour from “old theme” to “modern 2025 theme” — most of the time was just copying files.
You can do this too!
Steps for any old classic theme:
- Create a new folder:
wp-content/themes/yourname-child/ - Add a tiny
style.csswith the child-theme header - Add a
functions.phpwith the modern fixes - Use ChatGPT / Claude / Grok and say:
“Here are the files of my old theme. Please make a child theme that…” (paste your wish list) - Activate the child theme → done!
Result: Your site stays fast, secure, beautiful — and you never lose the classic look you love.
Happy modernising!
— A WordPress friend who updated Hamilton in 2025
