FAMOUS FIRM OF LOCKSMITHS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22520, 30 September 1938, Page 19

FAMOUS FIRM OF LOCKSMITHS

♦ NEW FACTORY OPENED AT WOLVERHAMPTON CHAIRMAN'S NINETIETH BIRTHDAY

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LONDON, September 1,

Lord Hayter celebrated his ninetieth birthday by opening a new factory at Wolverhampton—a factory for hjs world-famous family firm, Chubb. When he was a boy the medical opinion was expressed that this nonagenarian would not live to attain his majority.

Lord Hayter, who has been chairman of the company since it was formed in 1882, joined the business more than 73 years ago—the business is 120 years old. He presented gold watches to six workmen who had been in the employment of the firm for more than 50 years. One of these workmen was able to recall that when his father took an unauthorised day off- from lock-making to attend the funeral of the Duke of Wellington, Lord Hayter's father was angry with his wayward apprentice. Since the business was established bv Lord Hayter's grandfather, Charles dhubb, Chubb locks have protected banks, post offices, Royal treasures, and prisons. It is a Chubb lock which guards the Crown Jewels in the Tower. The firm has made the largest strongroom door, and their strong-rooms guard deposits in the Mint and London Safe Deposit. Early Days of Firm Before opening the new factory Lord Hayter addressed the workpeople and visitors and spoke of his early days. He recalled having been taken to the great exhibition of 1851 and having seen the cage made, by the firm for the protection of the Koh-i-noor diamond. He also told of an occasion when, as a child accompanying his father to the London, office, he saw the bodies of three men swinging from the gallows outside Newgate Prison —the last persons, he believed; to be hung in public. '.'.."■. -After he had made the presentations to the older ■workmen Lord Hayter was himself presented ■with a silver cigarbox as a birthday present from all the firm's employees at the Wolverhampton works;

The new factory was referred to by Lord Hayter as marking the beginning of what he believed would be an expanding business in the production of machinermade locks. Hitherto the production of most of the high-quahTv Jocks made by the firm has depended largely on the skill of the individual locksmith, but there has now been installed the nucleus of a plant db designed that it will fit in with planned extensions to a new system for making locks by machinery. •