Locksmith help in Royston

What kind of town is Royston?

Royston grew where Ermine Street crossed the Icknield Way, at the northern tip of Hertfordshire. The county boundary with Cambridgeshire once ran through the middle of the town, and Royston has been wholly in Hertfordshire only since the 1890s. Today the boundary lies just to the north, and the SG8 postcode district reaches into villages on both sides of it.

The old centre is a conservation area, with timber-framed and Georgian buildings along its streets. Victorian and Edwardian terraces lie close by, and the town grew substantially in the later twentieth century, with estates of houses and bungalows on the edges of the town.

What locks are common in older Royston homes?

In the centre and the older streets, front doors are often timber, with a mortice lock, a rim latch or both. Some of these locks are many decades old. If your insurer asks for a lock made to BS 3621, look at the faceplate on the edge of the door for the number. If it is not there, a locksmith can usually fit a compliant lock without replacing the door.

In a listed building or within the conservation area, changing the door or windows themselves may need consent from North Hertfordshire Council, whereas changing a lock does not.

What about newer homes?

Houses built from the 1960s onwards have often had their doors and windows replaced with uPVC, and more recent homes have composite doors from the start. Both rely on a multipoint lock and a euro cylinder. Check whether the cylinder has a TS 007 Kitemark with three stars, or a one-star cylinder backed by two-star handles. If not, it may be worth upgrading to one that resists snapping.

What about flats above shops in the centre?

Along the older streets of the town centre, some shop buildings have a flat on the upper floors, reached by its own street door or through a yard at the back. That door is often a plain timber one with a rim latch, because it was never meant to be the main entrance to a house. If you live in one, find out whether the door is yours or the landlord's to maintain before you arrange any work. A mortice deadlock alongside the latch is a common improvement, and a yard gate that locks helps too. If a shop downstairs shares the same rear access, mention that in your enquiry, along with whether the flat has a second way out.

What if I live over the border?

Some SG8 addresses are in Cambridgeshire villages rather than Hertfordshire. That does not change anything about locks, but it does mean your council and some local services differ. Give your full postcode in your enquiry, so coverage can be checked properly.

Many village homes around Royston are older cottages and farmhouses with timber doors, outbuildings and long back gardens. Outbuildings and side gates there are worth including when you think about security, not just the front door.

What should I include?

Say what kind of door you have, whether it is timber, uPVC or composite, and describe the problem. With your agreement, it is sent to one locksmith who works across SG8, if there is one. Should nobody cover your address, you hear that from us.