One of the most exciting objects I have been asked to gain access to was this Priceless Beautiful Trinket box that Prince Albert had made for the Queen.
It is now privately owned and story has it, is that the Queen after a short while decided she needed a bigger box, hence why this Historic item has come to light and has been kept in the family since the Queen passed it on to a friend. The Box has stayed in the family with strict instruction that it be passed down to the women in the family only.
The box lid self locked when closed and the keys were locked inside.
Having carried out some previous work for the Family in the past, the owners contacted me to firstly invite me over to discuss this precious heirloom, the importance and then the problem and then asked if I could take on the responsibility of opening without damage.
A bit taken aback and after a few breaths I agreed almost immediately.
This has been an absolute honour and privilege to have been asked and trusted with their much loved and treasured box.
This particular lock fitted is called a Bramah lock, A very complex intricate lock & very clever in its operation. however when we managed to open it, the lock as suspected had been replaced with what we think could be a fake Brahm Lock. Replaced at some point down the line it is rather old after all.
Fellow locksmith and friend Nik who shared the opening with me at Wessex Locksmiths is hot on the trail to try and hunt down what should have been the correct lock for the box.
As a locksmithing perfectionist Nik did feel a little deflated that such an important object had had its original Bramah lock replaced, he is someone who has built these locks and works to an extremely high standard so I can fully understand his passion and am sure he/we will find the correct lock not only for our personal passion for doing what is right but for history’s sake.
I have been given kind permission from the owner to show these pictures on my site.
Any addresses and links to the owner and whereabouts have been purposely destroyed by request of the owner.
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