1923. Alfred Bernard Rooms set up his whitesmith, blacksmith and locksmith business – whitesmithing is detailed work with light coloured metals such as tin and pewter and includes making such as candle holders, plus the finishing work – filing and polishing – on iron and other black metals. AB’s son, also called Alfred, joined the company in 1930.
1923 was the year when the BBC did its first outside broadcast, the Empire Stadium, Wembley opened to the public for the first time, the Matrimonial Causes Act came into being establishing equal rights in divorce for men and women, and it became illegal to sell alcohol to under 18s.
World War II and its resolution in 1945 speeded up all manner of developments, particularly in manufacturing processes and engineering. When Colin Rooms, grandson, joined the company in 1963, UK society had changed significantly – and continues to do so – security was increasingly in demand, and in particular, a level of engineering sophistication which could deal with ever-changing threats and pressures. This matched exactly the abilities and resources of the company, now called A.B.Rooms & Son,
In 1990 David Rooms joined the company. Great grandson, a born engineer, already by the age of 10 able to evaluate how secure a house or building was, and how to get into same. He could also crack safes.
David, now the MD, is a mix of practicality and technological knowhow and application [which means he can do the work as well as know what to do], and is continually advancing the company’s work on safes, on increasingly sophisticated engineering applications, and on the whole area of locks and access control. Under David’s management, ABR has become a highly resourced and resourceful company, fully involved in both new product development. and the legal and H&S demands on the industry, specialised, knowledgeable, and highly skilled.
