What is a Skeleton Key?

25/10/2017

A skeleton key is master key for opening all of a particular set of doors. Stripped of all irrelevant parts – hence skeleton – the key only has the functional opening mechanism for all the doors. Historically, skeleton keys were useful in large buildings with many rooms. Hotels, for instance – where every guest needs a key that opens only their own door, but housekeeping needs access to all the rooms. A skeleton key meant that hoteliers could access all the rooms without having to carry a huge bunch of keys around with them.

Anatomy of the Skeleton Key

A warded lock should only open to a key that is cut in the shape of that lock. The key has notches that align with obstructions (known as wards) allowing that key to turn. It is the rotation of the key that unlocks the bolt. Keys with notches in the wrong place can be inserted but will not turn. The skeleton key is a way of bypassing the wards of these simple locks. A slimmer version of the key will not be obstructed by the wards and will be able to turn.

Skeleton Keys in Literature and on Film

In literature, skeleton keys have acquired functions that their real-world equivalents never had. The fictional skeleton key can frequently open any lock at all! Skeleton Keys make regular appearances in Enid Blyton books and mid-Twentieth Century detective novels. They crop up occasionally in movies as well: Beetlejuice, Harold and Maude, and – unsurprisingly – the psychological thriller The Skeleton Key all feature the motif. In the Living Daylights, Timothy Dalton’s Bond uses a skeleton key given to him by Q to escape from a pair of handcuffs.   

The Decline of the Skeleton Key

There is an obvious problem with warded locks that can be opened by a skeleton key. Any of the everyday keys that are only supposed to work in one lock can be filed down and made into a skeleton key. This lack of security has made the system more or less obsolete.

At PT Lock and Safe, we’ve turned our fascination with locks and puzzles into a thriving locksmith business. If you are in the Norfolk area and you find yourself locked out of your home or car, call us on 01603 812613.

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