Item ST 24360 Typewriter - Bar-Lock Typewriter Co., Royal, 1914-1920

Summary

Typewriter manufactured by the Bar-LockTypewriter Company of Nottingham, England and marketed under the name 'Royal Bar-Lock'. The design was patented in 1889 by Charles Spiro and was originally manufactured by the Columbia Typewriter Manufacturing Company of New York. In 1914 all patents, rights and manufacturing machinery were transferred to Bar-Lock in England.

The Royal Bar-Lock is a typewriter of the type-bar class, downstrike from front design, The type-bars rest vertically in a semicircular type basket in front of the platen. When a key is pressed the selected type-bar swings down and forward in a direction away from the operator and strikes the paper and platen from above. There are two separate keyboards, one for uppercase and one for lowercase characters.

Physical Description

Black-painted metal frame with plated metal components. Typebars in vertical semicircular basket. Two ribbon spools close together on horizontal axes. Two Qwerty keyboards, one for uppercase characters, with circular black keys with white lettering, and one for lowercase letters, with ivory-coloured octagonal keys with black lettering.