The Kent History Forum

General Kent History Stuff => Domestic and Residential Buildings => Topic started by: John Walker on October 16, 2022, 11:50:18 PM

Title: Items found in a Canterbury house being renovated
Post by: John Walker on October 16, 2022, 11:50:18 PM
My Niece is working on a house in central Canterbury and found these items under an original Georgian window.

Can anyone identify them?  One looks like a surround for a keyhole and the other looks decorative.


Thanks
Title: Re: Items found in a Canterbury house being renovated
Post by: grandarog on October 17, 2022, 05:27:02 AM
What a nice find. There is no indication of scale or material. If they are small and brass (or Gold), as I think, they are they could be embellishments for a writing case or a lady's needle work box or the old-fashioned Jewel Box with all the tray inserts, they all tended to have corner and ornamental bits as well as the keyhole plate.
Title: Re: Items found in a Canterbury house being renovated
Post by: John Walker on October 19, 2022, 08:39:59 PM
Quote from: grandarog on October 17, 2022, 05:27:02 AM
What a nice find. There is no indication of scale or material. If they are small and brass (or Gold), as I think, they are they could be embellishments for a writing case or a lady's needle work box or the old-fashioned Jewel Box with all the tray inserts, they all tended to have corner and ornamental bits as well as the keyhole plate.


Thank you Grandarog - They look like brass.  I've attached another photo to show scale.  Your explanation seems to fit rather well.


Thanks
John
Title: Re: Items found in a Canterbury house being renovated
Post by: grandarog on October 20, 2022, 08:39:25 AM
At the size shown against a hand,they now appear to be a bit large for what I suggested. Maybe from a piece of furniture on a larger scale.

Title: Re: Items found in a Canterbury house being renovated
Post by: MartinR on October 20, 2022, 10:31:25 AM
The keyplate is for quite a large key.  I've just compared it to a modern security for a church door and the key is smaller than the keyplate's hole.  I would image that it is a door lock rather than furniture.  It could possibly have been removed from a domestic safe door.
The other two tags look like belt or harness ends.  Note that they can only be attached at the bottom (as shown) and are decorated at the top.  They don't look practical, they seem to be quite thin so not for lifting.
All guesswork of course!