The History behind Safes and Safe Manufacturing
How times have changed!
Here at Total Safes, we are fascinated with the history behind safes and safe manufacturing.
The first safe dates back to the 13th Century BC and it belonged to Pharaoh Ramesses II. It was a wooden safe that was found in his tomb. The safe's lock resembled a pin tumbler type of lock.
Over time, the manufacturing of goods improved meaning there was a shift from wooden products to more metal products.
In Ancient Rome, the Romans needed somewhere to store their valuables where they couldn't be stolen. With such a demand, this then inspired the Roman's to make safes with the first safe lock that had fixed lugs.
This was ultimately done to stop one key opening every lock. By using different shapes and sizes of notches meant each lock would require a different key to open it. All locks appeared in different sizes, from small to large. They would resemble various symbols and shapes such as religious symbols and even shapes of animals.
When it came to the late 15th and 16th century, people began to become fixated more with design due to the growth in architecture and construction. Such changes influenced the manufacturing of goods. This meant safes weren't improving security wise, but they were instead being made to look more aesthetically pleasing.
As the 18th century came underway, new concepts for security devices started to emerge. One particular idea was using bells with safes. The bell would be triggered and would start to ring if someone was trying to access the safe. This would bring attention to thieves or would deter them from accessing the safe.
Even though the security of safes has improved over the years, so has thief’s knowledge of how to break into safes. Those who purposely sought out to break into safes were called safe crackers.
The advances in manufacturing and production work has helped to improve safes and their durability. Nowadays, certain testing is done to safes in order to meet the best security requirements. The advancement in locks made it that more difficult for safe crackers to operate.
Fire safes began to emerge in order to help protect assets against fire exposure. Such safes can be accounted for back in 1834 when British engineer William Marr, Cyrus Price, Thomas Milner or Charles Chubb designed a safe with double walls of steel with heat insulation in between them.
As we have learnt a lot from history we are always coming up with ideas to improve the security of each safe. There are many type of locks that can be chosen for example:
The standard key lock which comes as standard on safe and most safes can be upgraded to have a digital lock or a combination lock. Digital locks are one of the most popular locks that can be added to safes. Whether it be for business use or home use, nearly every safe manufacturer will offer electronic locks for their safes. Certain electronic locks allow multiple users and can be programmed to be accessed at different times. Certain safes have already been manufactured with finger print locks which can only be accessed by the correct finger print. This futuristic design eradicates the chances of losing your keys and forgetting your pin.
As we become more materialistic, this has affected the design of our safes. Bespoke and luxury safes are becoming more common as people want their safes to not only protect their goods, but to look appealing. All too often we see safes that have velvet interiors and glossy marble finishes. Certain safes made to hold watches, may have an electrical carousel to show off the watches and the worth of the safe.
Shop for your perfect home safe and office safe here. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch on 0161 819 6888
