Disclaimer This blog is about the graphic design of burglar alarms and has no connection with the companies featured. Most photos show vintage sounders and are not the latest products of the firms under discussion. For up-to-date info on any company, please visit their official website.
Burglar Alarm Britain
Where vigilante culture meets vernacular design
Category Archives: Yellow
County Intruder Alarms, Stroud: popular
Posted by on April 25, 2013
“County Intruder Alarms” burglar alarm, Stroud • Yet another CIA alarm – a popular name. See also Christie Intruder Alarms and Cirencester Intruder Alarms. • Spotted: London Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5, England, 2012 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Stroud
“Prime”, Newcastle: dog food
Posted by on February 26, 2013
“Prime Security Systems” burglar alarm, Newcastle upon Tyne • I’ve been to Newcastle several times, so am shocked to find this is the first (and indeed only) burglar alarm I’ve ever photographed there. And this from someone who has even photographed sounders in Hull and Hereford (which, let’s face it, are not exactly on Tripadvisor’s top 10 city breaks list). So, just as well that Prime suggests excellence. Or dog food. • Spotted: New Bridge Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE1, England, 2012 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Newcastle upon Tyne East
“AT Alarms”, Derby: clunky
Posted by on January 21, 2013
“AT Alarms” burglar alarm, Derby • Called AT in the logo, and ATA in the monogram, with neither explained (Alarm Technology, perhaps). I wonder if the clunky ATA is meant to conjure up the scales of justice? Because it looks more like a trestle table. • Spotted: Town centre, Derby, Derbyshire, DE1, England, 2010 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Derby South
“ASG Security”, Falmouth: sacrilege
Posted by on January 20, 2013
“ASG Security” burglar alarm, Falmouth • Oh sacrilege. You can just about see, underneath this sticker, the superb original Alarm Service Group design, which I eulogise here. Somebody went and replaced it with this awkward three-letter monogram, which remains unexplained, despite repeating the initials twice. • Spotted: Killigrew Street, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11, England, 2012 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Truro and Falmouth
“Taybell Alarms”, York: groovy
Posted by on December 29, 2012
“Taybell Alarms” burglar alarm, York • Groovy! This charming monogram looks like something off an early 1970s boutique, apt since Taybell was founded in 1974. Utterly fab. • Spotted: Gillygate, York, Yorkshire, YO3, England, 2011 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of York Central
“Tamar”, Exeter: gridlocked
Posted by on December 8, 2012
“Tamar Security” burglar alarm, Exeter • Ah, the eternally gridlocked Tamar Bridge, slender link across he Tamar between Devon and Cornwall. It’s not named after the Jewish temptress of Biblical legend (more’s the pity), but an ancient British word meaning something like “dark flowing”, as is the Thames. • Spotted: Town centre, Exeter, Devon, EX1, England, 2009 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Exeter
Above: the real Tamar Bridge
“WEC Alarms”, Nottingham: cheery acronym
Posted by on August 20, 2012
“WEC Alarms” burglar alarm, Nottingham • An cheery yellow unexplained acronym livening up a nice green Georgian house, though not exactly “in keeping”. The building is some kind of defunct costume museum, opposite Nottingham’s stupid castle, so a shield seems appropriate. I learn from their website that WEC were established in 1981 as a subsidiary of Woodthorpe Electrical Contractors, who were formed in 1963 – hence the name. • Spotted: Castle Gate, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG1, England, 2011 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Nottingham South
“Shield Alarms”, Sheffield: grey blob
Posted by on August 11, 2012
“Shield Alarms” burglar alarm, Sheffield • Obviously the same firm as above, judging by the shape of the gloomy grey blob lurking in the background. • Spotted: Campo Lane, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S1, England, 2010 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Sheffield Central
“Shield Alarms”, Sheffield: twingo bingo
Posted by on August 10, 2012
“Shield Alarms” burglar alarm, Sheffield • And so – ta da – we make a slight return to yellow shields. I wonder if this is any relative of the brace of vintage yellow Shields I published a week ago? It has the same typeface as this old Shield Security System sounder. All these shield sounders are kind of like burglar alarm Twingo Bingo. • Spotted: North Church Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S1, England, 2010 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Sheffield Central
“Shield Burglar Alarm”, Hackney: crumbly grilles
Posted by on August 3, 2012
“Shield Burglar Alarm” burglar alarm, Hackney • Very similar to yesterday’s but with grilles and a different phone number, again for the spotters out there. A spectacularly decaying number, as befits the crumbly Stoke Newington Road.• Spotted: Stoke Newington Road, Hackney, London, N16, England, 2012 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington
“Shield Burglar Alarm”, Camden: personal fortification
Posted by on August 2, 2012
“Shield Burglar Alarm” burglar alarm, Camden • So now I move from the fortification of buildings to the fortification of humans, with the huge burglar alarm category of shields. This sounder does (or rather, did) what it says on the can. There’s a side view below for the real “spotters” out there. • Spotted: Bleeding Heart Yard, Camden, London, EC1, England, 2012 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Holborn and St Pancras
“Citadel”, York: Pooterish connection
Posted by on July 23, 2012
“Citadel” burglar alarm, York • In the curiously timeless 1892 comic novel Diary of a Nobody, “my own citadel” was how Mr Pooter grandiosely described his home, a modest Victorian villa constantly rattled by passing trains. Not so different from where I found this, then: and if burglar alarms been invented in his day, Mr Pooter would definitely have had one. • Spotted: Bootham Crescent, York, Yorkshire, YO3, England, 2011 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of York Central
Nameless Roman soldier alarm, Sheffield: stabby
Posted by on June 25, 2012
Nameless burglar alarm with Roman soldier, Sheffield • This is the most violent sounder image I have: an anonymous Roman legionary unashamedly going about a ferocious felon-stabbing – or possibly ritual disembowelling – with a calm, impassive expression on his face. Either he’s a robot, a la Westworld, or he’s simply a psychopath. Burglars beware! • Spotted: Bank Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S1, England, 2010 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Sheffield Central
“Corinium Security”, Cirencester: Mr Grumpy
Posted by on June 24, 2012
“Corinium Security Cirencester” burglar alarm, Cirencester • Just as elderly but somewhat less DIY than yesterday’s Corinium sounder, this features a stern Roman legionary protecting the premises. In fact he’s so grumpy-looking (see enlargement, below), you’d think he was stuck out on blustery, Scot-bashed Hadrian’s Wall rather than in the softie southern posting of Cirencester. • Spotted: Town centre, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7, England, 2007 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Cotswolds
“Corinium Security”, Cirencester: ancient name
Posted by on June 23, 2012
“Corinium Security Cirencester” burglar alarm, Cirencester • Corinium – it’s the Roman name for Cirencester, don’t you know. I always imagined Cirencester was some cowshit-strewn rural dump till I went there, then I realised it was really posh. I guess it got rich in Roman times, and stayed that way ever since. Hence perhaps their devotion to their ancient name. • Spotted: Town centre, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7, England, 2007 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Cotswolds
“Knight Security”, Newquay: psychedelic crash
Posted by on June 18, 2012
“Knight Security” burglar alarm, Newquay • Unlike yesterday’s un-knightly seaside monogram, this one at least has a shield and some heraldic-looking “black letter” script. That’s an illustration of a psychedelic VW camper van bumping into it, by the way – an unlikely crash caused by its location on a surf shop fascia in the not-very-paradisical surfie hub of Newquay. • Spotted: Bank Street, Newquay, Cornwall, TR7, England, 2012 • Politics: In the Liberal Democrat constituency of St. Austell and Newquay
“Knight Installations”, Dorking: thrusting sword
Posted by on June 12, 2012
“Knight Installations” burglar alarm, Dorking • This is brilliant – 1970s type framing a triumphal image of a knight in ceremonial armour, complete with plumed full-face visor, cloaked warhorse, St George’s Cross jerkin and massive thrusting sword. So very Dorking, and so much more effective than a guard dog. • Spotted: Town centre, Dorking, Surrey, RH4, England, 2008 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Mole Valley
“Vaico International”, Tower Hamlets: global gloves
Posted by on May 10, 2012
“Vaico International” burglar alarm, Tower Hamlets • These hands look like they’re literally trying to put the world to rights on this sadly leaning sounder. There’ a picture of a more recent Vaico sounder here – hands still tightly cupping their proud globe of internationalness – and the 1997-founded firm’s official website is here, though it doesn’t offer any explanation of the cryptic name. Globes are a very popular theme, and one I’ll return to soon. These are the last disembodied hands for now: tomorrow, alarms relating to swiftness. • Spotted: Wentworth Street, Tower Hamlets, London, E1, England, 2010 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Bethnal Green and Bow
“Gardner”, Gloucester: wrong kind of gardener
Posted by on April 23, 2012
“Gardner Security” burglar alarm, Gloucester • Finally, a gardener to keep up with all these botanical sounders – though one with poor spelling, and in possession of a lion. I assumed it was this Gardner Security, who lasted from 1981 to 2010, then became subsumed by Christie Intruder Alarms, the 42-year-old firm behind the famous CIA “crouching man” sounders. But a comment below tells me that this is a different Gardner Security, of Colford in Gloucester – who sold to Modern in the 1990s, thus ending up as part of ADT So now you know. • Spotted: Town centre, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL1, England, 2008 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Gloucester
“Oakpark Alarms”, Aylesbury: long-lived oak
Posted by on April 16, 2012
“Oakpark Alarms” burglar alarm, Aylesbury • Another long-lived oak, Winslow-based Oakpark Alarms was founded in 1985. Although their website still wishes visitors a happy christmas 2010, one of the two tweets on their minimal Twitter page wishes the world a happy new 2012, so I guess they are still around (if not very good at updating web things). I was hoping Oakpark would turn out to be some leafy Buckinghamshire landmark – a historic park, or a posh golf club, say – but that appears not to be the case, so I guess it’s just a random name. Their base of Winslow does have some burglar-related fame, however: it’s the setting of Terence Rattigan’s famous play “The Winslow Boy“, based on the true story of an Edwardian naval cadet wrongly convicted of theft. • Spotted: Cambridge Street, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP20, England, 2010 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Aylesbury
“Len Gunstone”, Bath: three arrows in one
Posted by on March 28, 2012
“Len Gunstone Bath” burglar alarm, Bath • Three arrows in one – or perhaps an arrow piercing a triangular rock – for Len Gunstone of Bath, whose sounder is taking a bath in Gay Street (no chortling at the back there). Oh, I’ve just realised – it’s also a naive monogram comprised of a very angular “L” (outer black triangle) and “G” (inner yellow triangle), with an arrow in the centre. Clever – but unreadable. Googling Len Gunstone throws up a 2012 website for a firm called BSA, aka Bath Security Alarms, whose logo is a cube inexplicably emerging from (or dropping into) a hole. Not one I’ve come across yet in the plastic. • Spotted: Gay Street, Bath, Avon, BA1, England, 2011 • Politics: In the Liberal Democrat constituency of Bath
“Yale”, Tower Hamlets: humdrum wedge
Posted by on March 11, 2012
“Yale” burglar alarm, Tower Hamlets • Now come a few odd-shaped sounders for which I can’t find the correct geometrical terms (because there probably aren’t any). The hulking contraption above is the dummy box companion to Yale’s round sounder here – though as I commented there, if that is a gleaming Gouda, this is a mere humdrum wedge of Cheddar. • Spotted: Redchurch Street, Tower Hamlets, London, E2, England, 2006 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Bethnal Green and Bow
“AM Security Group”, Brighton: swelling sides
Posted by on March 5, 2012
“AM Security Group” burglar alarm, Brighton • Not a super-rare case style, but unusual and striking nevertheless with its swelling sides. You see these mounted horizontally too, and with the right design and colourway such boxes can look stylish – though this isn’t one of them. The busy logo manages to cram in references to time, a bit of a key at the end of the ‘M’, and radiating from the ‘A’ is a spiky circle that suggests a bandsaw or a gun sight, but is probably meant to be soundwaves. • Spotted: Old Steine, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1, England, 2004 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Brighton Kemptown
“Micromark”, Herne Bay: sixties sci-fi DIY mystery
Posted by on January 26, 2012
“Micromark Security Systems” burglar alarm, Herne Bay • I’ve included this splendid space-age case in the “retro-futurism” category because it’s a top piece of 1960s-style sci-fi design, and Micro-Anything, like Anything-Tronic, conjures up the early days of integrated circuits (and yes, that does include Microsoft). I’ve seen quite a few of these around – they seem to be used by Micromark only – and they’re always still in pristine condition. I’d assumed that this was because they were some high-end piece of kit, but having done an image search on Micromark, I’ve discovered they target the cheap DIY market, as explained in this Guardian article and on this spammy-looking Security System Guide. This and several other Micromark systems (none of which I’ve spotted in the wild) crop up listed on Amazon and various price comparison sites, but they generally seem to be unavailable, so I’ll leave it to the experts to tell me more about this mysterious brand. Bizarrely, there’s a YouTube video here of some lad setting up a Micromark alarm on his wardrobe – I doubt that his mother was impressed. • Spotted: Station Road, Herne Bay, Kent, CT6, England, 2004 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Thanet North
“Security” (with crown), Southwark: nameless ruler
Posted by on January 10, 2012
“Security” burglar alarm with crown, Southwark • This cheerful yellow sounder, found on Decima Studios in Bermondsey, is a complete mystery – it doesn’t even have a name. Presumably the cracker-style crown indicates the title “Crown Security”, unless the company is simply called “Security”, which would certainly be cornering the market. The phone number is a shifty old mobile one, and googling it turns up absolutely nothing, so a mystery the bell box must remain. • Spotted: Decima Street, Southwark, London, SE1, England, 2011 • Politics: In the Liberal Democrat constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark
“Hewes”, Newham: Jesus fish
Posted by on December 14, 2011
“Hewes Security” burglar alarm, Newham • The branding of 40-year-old Essex-based firm Hewes includes an unambiguous “ichthys” symbol, based on a Greek acronym early Christians used to recognise each other. Also known as the “Jesus Fish”, its incorporation into logos is more common in the super-religious US, where enthusiastic use by fundamentalists and creationists has spawned a slew of parodies, such as a Darwin Fish, with legs; and a Trek Fish, which resembles the Starship Enterprise. In the UK, the sign is less controversial; in my experience, it’s most often seen on the bumper of aged Nissan cars being erratically driven by hat-wearing folk, no doubt on the premise that Jesus will save them. • Spotted: High Street, Newham, London, E15, England, 2010 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of West Ham
Above: alternate bumper stickers – a Darwin Fish, left; and a Trek Fish, right.
“Wimpey”, Chelsea: not the burger chain
Posted by on November 23, 2011
“Wimpey Security Systems” burglar alarm, Kensington and Chelsea • I came across this at Chelsea Reach, en route to explore the exclusive but tacky and depressing semi-gated community that is Chelsea Harbour (whose creation cut off to non-residential car traffic a very useful public road running behind the riverfront). It’s an excellent old Eurobell sounder with a long-obsolete Wimpey logo – look closely, and there’s a flash of lightning in the “C” of “Security”. Presumably it hails from George Wimpey, who merged with Taylor Woodrow to form Taylor Wimpey PLC in 2007, but was the UK’s largest private house builder in the 1970s – the same era as this alarm. • Spotted: Uverdale Road, Kensington and Chelsea, London, SW10, England, 2011 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Chelsea and Fulham
“Alarm Systems Torquay”, Bath: hydrant sign
Posted by on October 8, 2011
“Alarm Systems Torquay” burglar alarm, Bath • This looks like the miniaturised eye from yesterday’s odd alarm, staring out from one of those yellow H signs signifying a fire hydrant (see below). It could be a black magic symbol, but it’s more likely to be a monogram – saying H, OH, HI or even OHI – but with a sounder this old there’s no info to be found. • Spotted: George Street, Bath, Avon, BA1, England, 2011 • Politics: In the Liberal Democrat constituency of Bath
Above: a fire hydrant sign (photo by Bishty)
“Armadillo”, Brighton: abject but armoured
Posted by on August 18, 2011
“Armadillo Brighton” burglar alarm, Brighton • I love this alarm. A completely abject-looking armadillo, mournfully slouching above some stylish compressed type. (Being an insect-eater, it is possibly pining for the fly on the Ape alarm, below.) I’ve found another one in Aylesbury, which is newer than this and uses the Cooper Black font above the same illustration; and a quick web search reveals that the doughty little fellow represents Armadillo Safeguards, a 25-year-old firm based in Sutton, Surrey. Comical though it may be, unlike many burglar alarm creatures the armadillo at least has some relevance to the security trade, as it rolls up into an impenetrable armoured ball when threatened – although its guardian credentials are somewhat hampered by terrible eyesight. It falls into what I think of as the “defensive” rather than “offensive” category of anti-crime identity – somewhat abstract distinctions I shall explore further one day.• Spotted: Eastern Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2, England, 2010 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Brighton Kemptown
Above: A real armadillo (photo by www.birdphotos.com)
“ADT” duo, Tower Hamlets: waterfall of poo
Posted by on August 3, 2011
“ADT” burglar alarms, Tower Hamlets • Eeeeuuw, a veritable waterfall of pigeon poo. I pity the poor ADT engineer who has to service this unappealing pair – there’s enough guano here to impress David Attenborough. • Spotted: Wentworth Street, Tower Hamlets, London, E1, England, 2010 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Bethnal Green and Bow
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