Gwithian Chapel near Hayle was built in 1810 and is now privately owned. The owner called Owl Locksmiths and Security in May 2018 as he needed to upgrade the front door security for insurance and Fire safety regulations.
The old, but unlikely to be the original door only had an old rim lock and finger latch fitted which is far from adequate for todays requirements. In addition, the door although sturdy was not as wide as the modern standard doors which meant that the euro cylinder that the key goes into stuck out a little too much on the outer side but unfortunately we were left with little option.
It is difficult nowadays to upgrade old buildings with the dignity and sympathy that they deserve because the modern security items available are rarely produced to be both secure and also blend in and compliment such old and historic buildings. Also the fact that many of these buildings have various building restrictions in place makes our job anywhere between difficult and near impossible not to mention expensive to the property owners.
With this project as with so many where buildings that are frequented by the general public also have to comply with Fire Safety Regulations.
Under normal circumstances where there are not any listed building status restrictions and the only needs are that of security verses Fire Safety, Fire Safety over rules security in the majority of cases but when listed building status is thrown into the argument, then often Fire Safety comes in a very close second.
Although we had all three to consider on this job, I do not think the final result was too bad given the minimal option for parts to be used, the various restrictions and the door itself. Do You?
