Kenrick

Kenrick is a British hardware brand whose roots go back to 1791, when Archibald Kenrick founded an ironfounding business in West Bromwich, in the West Midlands of England. The company describes itself as continuing a legacy of precision manufacturing from that same West Bromwich site, and it markets its products under the banner of "Engineering Excellence Since 1791." Over more than two centuries the business has evolved from iron founding into the design and manufacture of window and door hardware, architectural hardware, and furniture hardware and castors. Today Kenrick supplies a broad catalogue of hardware solutions. Its window hardware range includes heritage-style fittings such as the Monkey Tail window handle and the Tear Drop window stay, alongside security locking systems marketed under names including Centurion, Centurion Fast Fit, Easi-Fit, Espags and Excalibur. Its door hardware range covers advanced door locking systems, and the company has introduced smart-lock technology with the AK Touch Secure door lock. Architectural hardware and furniture hardware and castors complete the offer, giving the brand a presence across residential, trade and architectural project markets. Kenrick positions itself around British manufacturing, security accreditation and durability. The company highlights its "Secured By Design" range of security-approved products, its West Midlands manufacturing base, and a portfolio of more than 1,000 products. Its heritage range appeals to traditional and conservation-minded projects, while its locking systems target fabricators and installers who need reliable, easy-to-fit security hardware. The brand operates primarily in the United Kingdom, with a sales and support operation reachable by telephone and email from its West Bromwich base. Its long history, spanning from Georgian-era iron founding to modern smart-lock technology, is central to its identity and marketing. The company remains an active British manufacturer and supplier of hardware rather than a consumer-facing retail chain.

Kenrick's history begins in the late eighteenth century. According to the company's own account, Archibald Kenrick arrived in Birmingham in 1780 and entered his first business partnership in 1787. In 1791 he founded "Archibald Kenrick, Ironfounder of West Bromwich," establishing the enterprise that would carry his name for more than two centuries. The business was based in West Bromwich, in the Black Country region of the West Midlands, an area that became a centre of British metalworking and manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution. From its origins in iron founding, the firm grew into a manufacturer of metal goods and hardware. Over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries it developed the capabilities in casting, finishing and precision engineering that underpin its present product lines. The Kenrick name became associated with window fittings, door hardware and related architectural products, and the company built a reputation for durable British-made hardware. By the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Kenrick was marketing a comprehensive range of window and door hardware. Its window locking systems, sold under names such as Centurion, Centurion Fast Fit, Easi-Fit, Espags and Excalibur, were designed for security, ease of installation and long service life, and were aimed at the UK window fabrication market. Heritage-style fittings such as the Monkey Tail window handle and the Tear Drop window stay kept the brand connected to traditional architectural styles. In the 2020s the company continued to describe itself as a British manufacturer with more than 230 years of heritage and a portfolio of over 1,000 products. It introduced the AK Touch Secure door lock, extending its range into smart locking technology. Its product catalogue is organised into window hardware, door hardware, architectural hardware, and furniture hardware and castors, with a dedicated smart solutions category. The company also emphasises security accreditation through its Secured By Design range and continues to manufacture from its West Bromwich site in the West Midlands.

• 1791

  Archibald Kenrick founds 'Archibald Kenrick, Ironfounder of West Bromwich'.

• 1787

  Archibald Kenrick starts his first business partnership.

• 1780

  Archibald Kenrick arrives in Birmingham.

• Company develops into a manufacturer of window, door, architectural and furniture hardware.

• Introduction of the AK Touch Secure smart door lock.

British manufacturer of security-approved window, door, architectural and furniture hardware, combining 230+ years of heritage with modern locking and smart-lock technology.

• AK Touch Secure

• Centurion

• Centurion Fast Fit

• Easi-Fit

• Espags

• Excalibur

• Heritage Monkey Tail

• Heritage Tear Drop

1. 1Kenrick | British Window, Door & Architectural Hardwarekenricks.co.uk
2. 2About Kenrick | British Manufacturing Since 1791kenricks.co.uk
3. 3Kenrick Product Range | Door, Window, Architectural Hardwarekenricks.co.uk
4. 4Kenrick Product Range | Door Hardwarekenricks.co.uk
5. 5Kenrickwikidata.org