HISTORY OF LOCKS • 59
Latest development of the change key lock with the same footprint as the 9 lever rectangular lock and supplied with changeable heads.
been preserved within our Museum’ s collection. Hobbs made a feature of supplying demountable vaults and even packing them for transport by camel caravan. Amazingly some 45 years later Chubb itself became the subject of a takeover and the same lamentations occurred by both the locksmith trade and the public; both Hobbs and Chubb still very much household names as any retailer will testify.
Hobbs very much combined technological foresight of‘ machinemade’ production with solid locking principles integral with the design. Interestingly many of Hobbs designs can still be seen evolved in today’ s products; perhaps this is one reason why thriving companies become the object of takeovers and mergers and is in itself an acknowledgement of successful products by competitors.
Everyone will be aware the company’ s product was initially the Parautoptic lock; a lock specifically for bankers’
Hobbs heavy laminated padlock design of over 100 years ago – very similar to today’ s version. This version of the lock is incredible close gated.
strongrooms. Interestingly there are many still in use including a dozen or so in the basements of Windsor Castle.
The‘ Parautoptic’ lock( from Greek and meaning – hidden from view), or‘ Transmutable Change Key Lock’ to give its contemporary name, is not the rarest of the Victorian locks by any means. However it is the one that symbolises that pivotal moment, the 1851 Great Lock Controversy, when English lock-making was rocked to its foundations by an American, A C Hobbs, and is therefore iconic for several reasons.
Locksmiths and keysmiths today can very often read and memorise a key just from sight and so it was back in the early 19th century particularly as most locks were of the simpler warded and / or tumbler design. And if the key was not available an inspection of the keyhole achieved the same result.
The early company though saw the potential of a full range of security products that were well made but also
Hobbs 3 lever mortice deadlock with both protector patents, nozzle and anti-pressure; this lock would still be challenging to the latest modern versions of Hobbs instruments. The chunky nozzle and the anti-pressure pivot points can be clearly seen.
at an affordable price. The affordability made possible by the pioneering development of emerging machine tooling techniques. Soon the potential of a full range of locks for both commercial and domestic applications was realised. Hobbs also included features in its locks such as secure methods of attaching handles and adjustable latch bolts making them both a pleasure and reliable to use, as well as a nicety of operation.
A few examples from the 19th century catalogues:
Hobbs, after a short period of development very quickly developed and adopted a range of locks that only changed in detail throughout the life of the company, and after the takeover can be seen transmuted into the new brand name.
The original sentries of our possessions from the 19th century, due to their well thought-out design, and built in durability, are still offering excellent security and is something to be considered today – the best quality is very often the most economical choice – so Hobbs was in retrospect one of the early‘ green’ companies.
Hobbs went to great lengths to ensure latch bolts and handles functioned smoothly and had a nice action in use. |
Hobbs heavy duty railway carriage door latch designed not to open by jolting. |
Another Hobbs innovative feature where the latch bolt could be reversed with removing the cap. |
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 |
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL. CO. UK | MAY / JUN 2018 Sponsored by Insafe | Loksafe. co. uk | Insafe. com