FORDINGBRIDGE Museum has a new exhibition celebrating brothers from the town who made their family name famous.

The exhibition of Chubb locks was made possible by a generous loan of locks displayed in a custom made display case by Brian Morland, the curator of the History of Locks Museum.

The Chubb family were an old Fordingbridge family and noted manufacturers of the tightly woven cloth called ticking and later were postmasters, corn dealers and insurance agents.

In the early part of the 19th century brothers Charles and Jeremiah Chubb began manufacturing locks that were much more secure than other locks.

Eventually their locks became internationally recognised for their security and reliability.

Fordingbridge Museum manager Jane Ireland said: “We have very little about the Chubb family and their locks in the museum so the offer of a spectacular display of fascinating locks is a godsend.

“The locks include an example of the first one the brothers produced. If the lock was picked or a false key was used to try to open it the mechanism detected the attempt and the lock would deadlock so that it could not be opened even by the original key.

“The owner would have to use a ‘regulator’ key which would reset the mechanism. Other locks include ones that are resistant to attack by gunpowder and a highly secure safe lock to protect top secret government papers. In the Cold War, Russia produced a portable x-ray machine to break the latter lock so Chubb had to provide it with a lead shield to protect it. We also havelocks that protected the strongboxes in the recent notorious Hatton Garden robbery.

“The Chubbs are a family that everyone in Fordingbridge should be proud of so I hope that local people will find the time to come and see this fascinating exhibition.”

Brian Morland said: “I am very pleased to be able to make a permanent loan of Chubb locks to the museum in the town where the founders of the company were brought up.