100 Years of Banham and Counting

What does peace of mind look like in 2026? The Banham shield above the door, the click of our night-latch that welcomes you home, the rapid-response team on call around the clock.

100 years ago, peace of mind looked a little different - but it was that same instinct to protect that led to the founding of our family business in 1926. Back then, the Banhams owned a London dress shop that was targeted with a string of burglaries. Worried not just for the shop, but for his wife Marie-Ann’s safety, William F. Banham designed an automatic door bolt - the world’s very first.  

It changed the game. So revolutionary was the Banham lock - and so convinced was William of its efficacy - that it had burglars queuing around the block in an attempt to pick it. Quite literally; William offered a cash prize as incentive, drawing burglars from far and wide, who all failed. The challenge also drew the attention of Scotland Yard, who promptly rounded up the thieves. 

After the real-life burglars put the Banham name on the map, a hired mime dressed as one stopped traffic when he posed in the window of the Oxford Street showroom. Next came an illustrated version, Burglar Bill, and our first slogan: Why Fear Burglars? 

As we were welcomed into British homes and business, the establishment took note and we received the seal of approval from the Master Locksmith Association, while a patent issued on our lock and cylinder design in 1950 protected our innovations from copycats. 

25 years since it all began, the next generation stepped up. After their father’s death, William and Marie-Ann’s three sons followed in his footsteps, joining their mother in the family business. 

With the 1960s came a new era of innovation. First, key registration that forbade unauthorised copies of Banham keys, adding another layer of protection. Then, in response to customers who wanted to build on the security that their Banham locks provided, the alarm division was born.

But the innovations didn’t stop there. In 1981, at the dawn of the digital age, Banham led the way with the opening of our first computerised alarm-monitoring centre in Fulham, revolutionising how we responded to security alerts. Building on this, we introduced our Keyholding service in 1989, giving customers peace of mind that a trusted response would be in place should their alarm be triggered. Beyond alarm callouts, the service continues to support everyday emergencies too - from accidental lockouts to time-critical moments, like getting a passport to Heathrow on time when its been left at home.

As the modern age has brought new security challenges, we’ve risen to them all. At the heart of our success is our expert team, many of whom have been part of the Banham community for decades. That people-first approach inspired a new chapter in 2014, when we opened the Banham Academy in Earlsfield to train the next generation of security experts. 

100 years on, we’re proud that the Banham name has become synonymous with security, that the shield is a symbol you can rely on. We’re also proud of the legacy we’ve created along the way: a legacy of British craftsmanship, industry-leading innovation, and trust. At heart, we’re still the same family business, though now it is the third and fourth generations carrying on what William F. Banham started all those years ago.

"People are at the heart of everything we do,” say our Managing Directors - and William and Marie-Ann’s granddaughters - Lucie and Frances Banham.