History of Locks
The same lock where the underside of
the cap is pierced horizontally, the key
is turned 90 degrees in the nozzle and
then pushed into the lock chamber.
Tanns’ nozzle patent with
a vertical keyway.
and other institutions where perhaps
disruption to the traditional décor is
unacceptable. That day inevitably arrives,
perhaps with a change of user, when the
safe won’t open even with the correct key.
So we explore a couple of scenarios.
Springing in locks is very reliable these
days, less so in the past. In any event and
ideally the springs should assist gravity.
Some safe locks though were fitted ‘on
their side’ which cases a lever to hang or
over lift when broken, causing a lockout,
easily rectified if realised before the
heavy solution is reached for.
Bill Stanton, in his diary’s, also
encountered locks such as the Milner
‘A’ type where the key is turned in the
opposite direction to normal when
locking/unlocking. Again usually these
problems are when there are changes in
personnel compounded perhaps with
many early safes with binding doors due
to wear on the hinges. Bill advises that
after assessing the problem, have a cup
of tea to work through the possibilities in
External appearance of the
lock with a conventional
vertical key hole.
your mind, Arthur Byant, Chubb’s safe
engineer before and during the war years
advises the same but to have a ‘fag’ when
weighing up the options.
Whilst talking about safes another
feature that sometimes confuses is
where the key chamber is doubled. The
Tann ‘Nozzle’ patent uses the same key
for both chambers. The first chamber
is in the nozzle itself, a reverse turn of
90 degrees and then push the key into
the lock chamber and then unlock
conventionally.
The Marr (whose mortice locks can
still be found throughout institutional
and government buildings such as the
palace of Westminster) uses two different
keys for iron doors. One for the upper
and another for the lower chamber, the
first key moves a shutter from the lower
keyhole, when the second key can access
the lower chamber.
There are countless similar quirks and
‘secrets’ that have been used by lock
makers over the years. All this shows
View of the upper
chamber, the key moves
a shutter (part of the
bolt tail) revealing a
horizontal key hole.
The lock chamber showing the horizontal
key entry and exit points in the IDB.
that although those products might now
be considered EOL or even obsolete
they still require professional service.
With just a little study and knowledge, a
locksmith’s foundation training can be
reapplied, the original locks can have
a further lease of life with the bonus of
avoiding unsightly scars.
Therefore a working locksmith’s
collection is not just a romantic feature
display in his shop or reception area; it’s
a very valuable reference tool for those
unexpected service jobs involving locks
of the past; it’s an interesting fact that
many of the famous lock collections,
such as the Lips and Frima collections
for instance, started out as reference
collections.
Brian Morland, curator of the 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
A horizontal key hole now
revealed allows access
with the second key to
the bottom chamber.
The top chamber removed.
Locking and unlocking is now
achieved in the conventional
way. Note also the Marr
version of the detector which
is reset in the normal way
should it become tripped.
JUL/AUG 2019
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