Locksmith help in Hitchin

What are Hitchin's houses like?

Hitchin is an old market town that grew prosperous on wool and, later, malting and brewing. Its centre, around the market place, the church and Bancroft, has timber-framed buildings, many of them refaced with brick or render in the Georgian period. Most of the historic core lies within a conservation area.

The railway brought Victorian growth, and terraces of brick houses run out from the centre and towards the station. Interwar semis followed, then post-war council estates and private housing on the edges of the town, and more recent developments since.

What should I know about locks in older houses?

Period homes in Hitchin often have timber front doors with mortice locks, rim latches, or both. Many locks are decades old and work well, but some would not meet BS 3621, the British Standard that some home insurance policies ask for on the front door. Check the faceplate for the number. A locksmith can usually fit a modern lock to the existing door.

Cottages near the centre sometimes have back doors onto shared alleys or yards, secured only by a latch or a bolt. Those deserve as much attention as the front.

In the conservation area, or in a listed building, keeping the original door and simply improving the lock is often the better route. Replacing the door or the windows may need consent from North Hertfordshire Council first.

What about Victorian terraces and sash windows?

Terraced houses here often keep timber sash windows. Sash locks or dual screws can stop them being opened from outside while still allowing ventilation, and they fit without changing how the windows look.

And newer homes?

Interwar, post-war and later houses have often had replacement uPVC or composite doors. If the euro cylinder is older and unmarked, it may not resist snapping. A cylinder carrying the TS 007 Kitemark with three stars, or a one-star cylinder with two-star handles, offers that protection.

Who looks after a gate onto a shared alley?

Some terraces in Hitchin have a passage running behind the back gardens, with a gate from each garden onto it. Where the passage is shared, the gate is usually the householder's own, but check your deeds or tenancy if you are unsure. Gates like these are often held by a single bolt or a padlock and hasp. A gate lock that needs a key from the passage side but opens by hand from the garden stops it being opened from outside while keeping a quick way out. Bolts and hasps should be fixed through the gate rather than held by short screws. If neighbours share the passage, talk to them before fitting anything that changes how it is used.

Sheds deserve a thought too. Tools and ladders kept by the back gate can be used to break into the house, so a sturdy lock on the shed protects more than the shed.

Which villages are covered?

SG4 and SG5 also take in villages such as St Ippolyts, Pirton and Ickleford. Give your full postcode so that coverage can be checked.

What happens with my enquiry?

Describe the door, the lock and what you need. If you agree, your enquiry is sent to one locksmith working around Hitchin, where one covers SG4 or SG5. When nobody does, you hear it from us and your details are not shared.