MAKERS & RETAILERS

Chubb

The Chubb lock company was founded in 1818 by brothers Charles and Jeremiah Chubb at their premises on Temple Street, Wolverhampton. The business developed around Jeremiah Chubb’s newly patented ‘Detector’ lock, devised in response to the need for a lock that could only be opened by its correct key.

Portrait of Charles Chubb.
Charles Chubb.

The Detector mechanism was designed not only to resist picking, but also to reveal when an attempt had been made. If one of the internal levers was raised beyond its correct position, the mechanism would engage and render the lock inoperable until it was reset.

Close-up of the circular keyhole and engraved Chubb plate on the 1849 ‘Definitive’ Detector lock.
Front view of a Chubb ‘Definitive’ Detector lock from 1849.
Top view of a Chubb ‘Definitive’ Detector lock from 1849.
Top view of a Chubb ‘Definitive’ Detector lock from 1849.

In 1823, Chubb was awarded a Special Licence of the Royal Household by King George IV. The firm later became the sole supplier of locks to the General Post Office, as well as supplying locks to the prison service.

In 1827, Chubb opened its first London premises at 57 St Paul’s Churchyard. The firm remained at this address until 1877, when it moved to 128 Queen Victoria Street, London. During this period, under the leadership of John Chubb, Charles’s son, and later John’s three sons, the company continued to expand its operations in both Wolverhampton and London.

Charles Chubb trade card from c. 1830–1840.
Trade card belonging to Charles Chubb dating c. 1830–1840.

The firm’s royal connections were further strengthened in 1841, when Chubb received a Royal Warrant to Prince Albert.

Jeremiah Chubb’s Detector lock retained its formidable reputation for more than thirty years. It was not until 1851 that Alfred Charles Hobbs, the American locksmith who also succeeded in opening Joseph Bramah’s celebrated ‘Challenge Lock’, successfully picked a Chubb Detector lock. Hobbs’s demonstrations became part of the wider ‘lock controversy’ surrounding the Great Exhibition of 1851.

At the Great Exhibition itself, Chubb & Son were awarded a Prize Medal for their locks and safes, with special approbation.

Lithograph of the Chubb stand at the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Lithograph of the Chubb stand at the Great Exhibition of 1851.

By the mid nineteenth century, the company had expanded well beyond the manufacture of locks, advertising fireproof safes, cash boxes and deed boxes alongside their celebrated Detector locks. The Chubb name subsequently became one of the best known in the field of locks and security equipment.

Etching of the Chubb building in Wolverhampton, circa 1870.
Etching of the Chubb building in Wolverhampton, c. 1870.
Historic photograph of Chubb’s premises at 128 Queen Victoria Street, London.
Chubb, 128 Queen Victoria Street, London.
Extra-Large Antique Jewellery Box in Coromandel with Concealed Drawers.
Extra-Large Antique Jewellery Box in Coromandel with Concealed Drawers. VIEW THIS BOX →
Chubb lock plate from an antique jewellery box by Asprey.
Chubb lock plate from an antique jewellery box by Asprey.
Antique Jewellery Box in Burr Walnut with Cantilever Mechanism.
Antique Jewellery Box in Burr Walnut with Cantilever Mechanism. VIEW THIS BOX →
A Chubb lock - 57 St. Pauls Churchyard.
A Chubb lock taken from an antique jewellery box in burr walnut with cantilever mechanism.

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