We were recently contacted by a customer in Preston who needed help gaining access to a J. Cartwright & Son safe after misplacing the keys. This safe, a solid and traditionally built unit, had been in use for many years and was now refusing to give up its contents.

J. Cartwright & Son were respected safe manufacturers known for producing durable, secure safes in the early 20th century. Their locks are typically well-made and often require a specialist understanding to open without causing damage—especially when the original keys are lost.

We attended the site and assessed the condition of the lock and safe. Using precise, non-destructive lockpicking techniques, we were able to successfully open the safe without any damage to the lock or the body. This meant the customer not only regained access to their belongings but also retained the option of having new keys cut to the original lock if they wished to continue using the safe.

It’s always a pleasure to work on heritage safes like this one, especially when we can preserve both their security and historical value. Another secure and respectful job completed in Preston by Paladin Safe Services — your trusted safecracker for antique and modern safes across the North West.

Antique J. Cartwright & Son safe opened for a deceased estate in Chorley. Professional safecracker opened the safe without damaging it in any way. Replacement keys were not required but the safe could have been serviced and new keys supplied if needed.

The keys to this J. Cartwright safe had been accidentally thrown away. We were called to the job in Parbold, Lancashire and picked open the lock for the owner.

The contents of this J. Cartwright & Son Safe were urgently required for a holiday and the keys could not be found. We attended the residence in Penwortham, Lancashire within a couple of hours of the call and picked open the outer door and internal draw lock. Our nondestructive entry methods left the safe in the same condition as we found it (Other than it being open) which will allow the customer to carry on using it once the keys are found.

The owners at an industrial unit in Manchester had recently acquired this old safe without keys and wanted to use it to store their things. We picked the outer door open and found a key for it inside which saved us having to make one. We also found the internal drawer was locked so we picked that open too so they had full access to the safe.