Chatwood Double Patent Safe

[Chao]

Chatwood1  Chatwood2  

I have a Chatwood floor safe that I need to dispose of, and I would like to know if you can tell me anything about it. I can't see any numbers on it, but the brass plate on the front has "Chatwood Double Patent Bolton" on it. It is 2'6" high by 2' wide by 2' deep and is very heavy. I have keys for it. Let me know if you need any further information, but I have attached some photos which may help. Regards, Alan.

[Tearly]

Hello Alan,

Thanks for your enquiry. This Chatwood safe dates to circa 1860 to 1890 and this type of safe construction is usually referred to as 'squared cornered'.  Individual mild steel sheets are riveted or screwed to an angle-iron frame to form 4 sides of a box - giving it a very square cornered look.  A back plate is then fixed from the outside and the door hung on the front.  They were primarily intended to protect ledgers from loss by fire and the body is filled with sand, sawdust and alum; a crude fire resistant mix - hence the weight.

Sadly, these old safes have little commercial value as they are too old and obsolete to be used for security purposes.  There are dealers who buy good quality Victorian safes to refurbish to a very high degree, then sell them on as wine cabinets or whatever.  To get a feel for prices and what these refurbished safes look like, log on to eBay and search for 'antique safe'.  They currently fetch about £140.  Ignore the 'buy now' items; they invariably ask too much and seldom sell.

There quite a lot on the Chatwood family history online if you're interested.

Regards,

Mike Palmer FSyI

Mike Palmer Consultancy