Chubb Locks

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The Chubb Locks subsidiary of the Assa Abloy Group is a British manufacturer of high security locking systems for residential and commercial applications.

Chubb was started as a ship's ironmonger by Charles Chubb in Winchester, England and then moved to Portsmouth, England in 1804.

Chubb moved the company into the locksmith business in 1818 in Wolverhampton. The company worked out of a number of premises in Wolverhampton including the purpose built factory on Railway Street now still known as the Chubb Building. His brother Jeremiah Chubb then joined the company and they sold Jeremiah's patented detector lock

In 1823 the company was awarded a special license by George IV and later became the sole supplier of locks to the General Post Office and a supplier to His Majesty's Prison Service.

In 1835 they received a patent for a burglar-resisting safe and opened a safe factory in London in 1837.

In 1851 they designed a special secure display case for the Koh-i-Noor diamond for its appearance at the Great Exhibition.

In 1984 the company was purchased by Racal, who sold it in 1997 to Williams Plc. In August 2000, they were sold to Assa Abloy.

[edit] Cultural references

Chubb Locks is mentioned in Alan Hollinghurst's 2005 novel, The Line of Beauty (in the very last pages).
Irene Adler's manor in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is secured by a Chubb lock.

Chubb Security was acquired by UTC in 2003 and resorts under the UTC Fire & Security banner