History of Locks
The half-moon shaped Arneheim key which operated 16 ‘ Bramah style ’ sliders in two rows of eight . This key which measures just 17mm x 19mm , drops into a la-fetton which then propels it into the lock which might be several inches deep inside the door .
Max Zahn , a German lock and safe maker , took the Bramah principle to extraordinary lengths ; this key incorporates 15 sliders in two rows , eight sliders at the tip and seven in the second row . Note that the first eight slots on the key operate the sliders in the conventional way whilst in the second row it ’ s the tip of the slot that engages with the sliders . He also incorporated an English lever bit as well ; just for good measure .
A double bitted key operating English style levers with seven Bramah style sliders .
Chistopher Polhem b . c1661 d . 1751
Joseph Bramah b . 1749 d . 1814
A graphite original sketch commissioned by the History of Locks Museum .
Imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery . One consequence of the success of Bramah ’ s lock is that it was often copied ; just because a lock is marked ‘ Bramah ’ s Patent ’, or Baron ’ s Patent or Chubb ’ s Patent ’ for that matter , it doesn ’ t mean that it was made by them . The laws concerning that sort of thing were quite different in those days ; the original manufactures brought various legal actions with varying success . Generally these third party locks were of inferior quality although there were one or two notable exceptions such as ‘ Cockerel Brand ’ by G W Brown .
It was quite different in the mainland European countries particularly safe lock manufactures . The Bramah lock principle in the UK had stayed largely the same to this day ; an early improvement was the addition of false notches , other than that the principle remain the same . However the Europeans were so inspired by the slider principle and developed it in many ways . Arnheim for instance produced a lock where the key bit , semi-circular in shape , had two rows of eight sliders . The key bit itself , about the size of a man ’ s thumbnail , was designed to drop into a lafetton . Another popular variation was to combine another principle to the Bramah such as both single and double bitted lever bits to the keys ; the Europeans were
in total awe of the UK lock-makers who , once inspired , went on to design English principles in quite different and exciting ways .
For those that would like to know a fuller account about other aspects of the life and times of both Christopher Polhem and Joseph Bramah ; these two books make fascinating reading :
1 . Christopher Polhem , The Father of Swedish Technology . Translated into English by William A Johnson , Ph . D . 1963 .
2 . Joseph Bramah , A century of Invention , 1749-1851 . By Ian McNeil . 1968 .
Note : The HoL Archive library contains many more books that provide the back stories to locks and their applications .
One observation is that both Christopher Polhem and Joseph Bramah added very significant and varied inventions , especially in machine tools , but they both also saw the value , and need , to improve the security of lock mechanisms . These two mechanisms are still inspiring inventors today for applications requiring the very highest security .
Heritage Room News And finally to bring everybody up to date about the Heritage Room : The MLA Board , which in my view , has shown great foresight in providing a great deal more space for the exhibits ; so much space in-fact that we are also moving the Archive into the new space together with a guest workstation . The display is closed at the moment ; there is a great deal of work to do not least some additional 50 display cabinets and a similar number of bookcases for the archive material . Watch this space for progress news . However we are very grateful to those that have already contributed both documents and locks to the cause , everybody that sends in items are acknowledged on our website and in the museums ’ catalogue .
Brian Morland , curator of the MLA Heritage Room , HoL Archive and the HoL Heritage Collection of Locks and Keys , welcomes comments and corrections on historical aspects of locks and keys . Brian can be contacted by email : brian @ emorlands . com
JAN / FEB 2023
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