Christs & St. Bartholomews Hospitals GEORGE III Steel Key. Circa 1820
Christs & St. Bartholomews Hospitals GEORGE III Steel Key. Circa 1820
8871
Interesting steel key used for a bridge warded lock or ward lock for a door or gate.
Set inside the bow at the end of the key is a hinged brass plaque which is engraved on both sides Christs & St. Bartholomews Hospitals.
This ward lock has a set of obstruction or wards which stop the lock from opening unless the correct key is used. Bridge warded locks were commonly used in late Georgian and Victorian times.
St. Bartholomews Hospital and Christs Hospital were adjacent from the mid 16th Century to the end of the 19th Century. During this period the Lord Mayor and Citizens of London acted as governors of both hospitals and the key may have been issued to official persons to gain access through the partition wall or be held at the Porters Lodge on both sites.
More historic details are available on request.
Length: 3.5 inches (9cm)
c 1820
Steel
London
Excellent
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