These two iron locks, one (with key) for a door, the other probably from a chest or strongbox, form part of a collection that was donated to the Manchester School of Art in 1911 by the architect Edgar Wood. This has now been incorporated into the Manchester Metropolitan University Special Collections.
Wood (1860-1935) attended art and design classes at the Manchester School of Art, against the wishes of his mill-owning father, before he qualified as an architect in 1885.
Greatly influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, Wood was responsible for a number of major buildings across the North of England in a distinctive style that combined the traditions of local vernacular architecture with elements of Art Nouveau.
True to his Arts and Crafts principles, Wood oversaw every aspect of his design projects, including stained glass, furniture and fittings, and loved travelling through Europe and the Middle East to observe different styles of building and to collect items of interest.
The locks represent his fascination with antique and Gothic styles and were used to help him re-learn old techniques and effects that he wished to apply in his own work.
Send suggestions for this series on the treasures, oddities and curiosities owned by universities across the world to matthew.reisz@tsleducation.com